Sublets

What is Subletting?

Subletting (or "subleasing") can be a great option if you're taking off for the summer or a semester, or you're planning to move out before your lease ends. Subletting your place while you’re away for a semester, internship, or summer break can be a smart move—but it comes with responsibilities. Here’s what you need to know to avoid legal trouble and make sure your subletter doesn’t ghost you halfway through.

Know the Rules

Before listing your apartment, read your lease. Many student leases either prohibit subletting or require written permission from your landlord. If it’s not allowed, try asking—some landlords will make exceptions if you explain your situation and offer to help find a replacement. Just don’t go behind their back; subletting without approval can lead to eviction or fines.

Find a Trustworthy Subletter

Start by asking friends or classmates if they know someone looking. No luck? Post on your school's housing board or social media (be clear about the dates, rent, and apartment details). You might have to lower your rent a bit to fill the spot quickly.

Always interview potential subletters. Ask about their job or income, how long they need the place, and if they have pets or plan on hosting parties. Give them a tour, be honest about the space, and make sure they’re a good fit—because if they leave early, you’re still on the hook for the rent.

Put It in Writing

Even if your subletter is a friend, a written sublease agreement protects both of you. Include:

• Names and contact info
• Start and end dates
• Rent amount, due date, and how it’s paid
• Rules around pets, guests, cleaning, and noise
• Who handles what utilities
• The security deposit: how much, what it covers, and how it’s returned

You can find free sublease templates online (like from the Internet Legal Research Group), or ask your campus legal aid office for help.

Also, be clear that if they don’t pay or break the rules, you can ask them to leave. Depending on local laws, you may have the right to evict them.

How to Create a Sublet Listing

Before creating your free sublet listing on the off-campus housing website, confirm you are allowed to sublet your space with your landlord and ensure you have a clear understanding of the requirements for new tenants. When communicating with potential subletters, be sure to clearly communicate all relevant details up front to avoid any issues later on.

You can list your place on the Housing search page by creating a listing and selecting "Listing is for a sublet" under the "Specifics" tab on the listing edit form. And then follow the steps below to complete your listing:

➡️ Step 1: Create Your Off-Campus Account

• Click Sign Up in the top right corner to get started and select your account type. If you are a student, faculty, or staff member, you can register here. If you are a parent or incoming student, faculty member, or staff member, you can sign up as a guest.

➡️ Step 2: Add Your Listing

1. Sign in to your account. If you haven't registered yet, create an account.
2. Select Add a Listing from the top navigation bar (or from the top-left navigation menu on mobile devices).
3. Under My Account, select Add a new Listing.

➡️ Step 3: Enter Property's Location

Find Your Address

Enter the exact rental property address and select the best option from the drop-down list:

📍 Map Marker Settings

If you do not want the exact location of your rental property to appear on the listing, uncheck the "Display exact property address on listing" option:

You will be able to move the map marker to a nearby location (e.g., the closest intersection or community leasing office) on the next page. This way, prospective renters will still be able to see your listing on the Housing search map (or "Map View" for mobile users) without seeing its exact location.

If you do not want your listing to appear on the map at all, unselect "Include in map-based searches and place map on listing."

Your property will still be listed on the right side of the Housing map (or in the "List View" on mobile), but it won't be visible on the map.

🗺️ Location

1. Select the types of tenants you'd like your listing to reach under Convenient For:

2. Select the best Searchable Location (also referred to as Searchable Neighborhood or Searchable City) option for your property from the dropdown. If you do not see your exact neighborhood or area listed, select the nearest available option.
3. Create a Property Name/Headline for your listing. This will display on the Housing Search page and at the top of the listing details page.
4. Press Save & Continue.

➡️ Step 4: Add Listing Details

💵 Listing & Rent

1. Enter the Building Type, the number of Bedrooms for rent & Bathrooms for rent, and Square Feet.

2. Enter the Total Rent, Rent Term, and Rent Type.

   The Total Rent can be set to one fixed amount or to a range (e.g. $1,000 or $1,250-$1,500).

Tip: When selecting a Rental Type, only choose "per Unit" if you are renting out an entire apartment or house with no other residents present.

3. Select any relevant options from the list of Upfront Requirements (at least one is required).
4. Enter the required Security Deposit amount. If the security deposit is contingent upon specific approval requirements, enter the Minimum Security Deposit and Maximum Security Deposit amounts. If you have a single deposit amount, leave the Maximum Security Deposit field blank.
5. If applicable, enter any leasing/move-in Specials or discounts available.
6. Select Save & Continue.

📆 Specifics

1. Select the maximum number of occupants allowed in the unit or bedroom.
2. Select "This property allows subletting."

3. Select "Listing is for a sublet."
4. Under Listing is for, only select "An entire unit" if there are no other occupants within the unit and the entire apartment/house/condo is for lease. Select "A room in a unit" if you are listing a bedroom within a unit. This will tag the listing as "Shared Housing" on the Housing Search page:

5. Under Availability, select "Now" if your unit is move-in ready, or specify the earliest date when it will be available.
6. Select whether renters will have the option to renew at the end of their lease.
7. Select Save & Continue.

📝 Amenities & Details

1. Choose the most suitable Parking Type option from the drop-down list, or select "No Parking Available" if parking is not provided.
2. Specify whether the tenant will have any Assigned spaces and how many designated Spaces they will have.
   1. If there isn't a specific number of spaces available (e.g., if parking is on a first-come, first-served basis), leave the Spaces field empty.
3. Add any additional relevant information to the Comments section.
4. Select +Save Parking Option.
5. Scroll down to view your newly added parking option, and create additional options if necessary.

Parking Options Edit Form (what you see):

Parking Options displayed on the listing (what renters see):

1. Select Pets Allowed, Pets Considered, or Pets Not Allowed.

2. If applicable, select which pets are allowed or considered:

1. Select any amenities that apply to your listing.

Tip: Amenity selections impact the housing search filters under which your listing will appear, along with various details throughout your listing, so be sure to select all applicable amenities.

2. Under Utilities Included in Rent, only select utilities that are included in the rate listed under Listing & Rent.
3. If there are flexible lease options available, select "Flexible/Other lease" while also selecting each accepted option individually. This will allow your listing to appear under all applicable search filters.

📋 Description

Create a detailed description of your property. Try to capture what it's like to live there by describing your property's features, the roommate situation, the neighbourhood, and the overall feel.

📲 Contact

Verify the contact information where you'd like potential renters or subletters to reach you.

Including your phone number is optional. If you do not want your phone number to display on the website, you can remove it and leave this field empty.

Enter the email address(es) where you'd like to receive email leads. By default, this will be the email you used to register for an account.

While you will receive leads at this email address, your email will not be displayed on your listing. Prospective renters and subletters will contact you through a contact form, and your email address will only be visible to them when you reply to the email lead.

🖼️ Photos & Media

• Upload up to 25 images by dragging them into the image field or clicking to select your uploads.
• Reorder your images by dragging them, or click Reverse Order to flip the sequence of all images.
• Each photo requires a brief Description of up to 40 characters.

• If you upload any floor plan images, change the Image Type to "Floorplan":

  

  Your floor plan images will then appear in their own separate category on the listing.

• Select Save & Continue.

Image files should be in .jpg, .png, or .gif format and less than 8MB in size. We suggest using photos with a resolution of at least 630 x 420px.

Please note that all photos must adhere to the content guidelines outlined in the Terms of Service. Non-compliant images, as well as images that contain more than one photograph (i.e., collages) or photos with superimposed text, are not permitted and may be removed.

➡️ Step 5: Publish Your Listing

1. When you have completed each section of the listing edit form, select Active from the dropdown in the top-left corner to turn on your listing:

2. Once successfully activated, you will see a confirmation message stating, "Your listing is now active! Please note that it may take up to 2 hours before your listing appears on the website."

Have Questions?

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to our customer support team.