Life takes us in mysterious directions, especially in college. Maybe you’ve decided to travel the country for the summer, maybe you’ve got that awesome job in another state, maybe you’re graduating early, or maybe you’re heading home to hang out with your high school friends for the summer. When you find yourself in the situation of having to sublease your apartment, things can get difficult. We’ve put together some basic tips on subleasing your college apartment. Enjoy.

Plan Ahead, and Talk with Your Roommates

The journey to subleasing your apartment should begin as soon as you know that you’ll need to. The more time you have to prepare, the better your chances for success. Your first step should be talking to your roommates so they can plan accordingly. If you give yourself enough time and communicate with your roommates or potential roommates, you should be able to avoid any potential issues.

Read Your Lease

Especially if you know you’re going to sublease before you sign your lease, it’s important to read this document and make sure you’re aware of any sublease requirements. You’ll want to make sure you are allowed to sublease your apartment, and what process you need to follow to get this done. Some places may require their approval process before you are allowed to sublease to someone else, there may even be a fee. When you sublease your apartment you usually are still responsible for the payment getting made, so make sure you’ve found a trustworthy subleaser.

Set the Mood

Before anyone will see your place, make sure you clean! No one wants to move into a pigsty, unless they’re a pig, of course. But you probably can’t sublease your college apartment to a pig. You might not be a world class photographer, or even have an Instagram, but do your best to take quality pictures of your place. It’s okay to highlight the truly awesome parts of your apartment, do you have a dishwasher? Maybe its an awesome porch? Make sure your photos accurately portray your apartment, but they can be a great tool to market your place.

Let the World Know

Now that you’ve got everything in order, it’s time to start letting people know Thousands of students use Rent College Pads, making it the perfect place to post your apartment sublease. Plus, it’s free! Make sure you’re asking for a reasonable price, but don’t set it too low since you’ll be making up for the rest. Post your place to our college apartment sublease board in your campus, and you’ll be well on your way to success. From there, you can even post it to your Facebook feed for your social network to see.

Congrats, People Want to Sublease Your Apartment. Choose Wisely.

Make sure to meet with potential subleasers. If your roommates will still be around, or are even just leaving their things, you’ll want to make sure they approve as well. You’ll want to make sure this person is trustworthy and a good fit for your place before you let them live in your bedroom for any period of time. Once everything is figured out, set up a formal, written sublease and get everything in writing. When you’ve got everything finalized and official, take your things (especially the valuables) and you’re ready to sublease your college apartment!

Getting out of the dorms means you don’t have to settle for the same rectangular room everyone gets. One of the great things about moving off campus is picking your own place. When you’re looking at potential first off campus apartments, there are a few things you want to look for.

Apartment Location

The number one most important thing is location. What’s important to you? If it’sutili a short walk to campus, look at places near the building you’re most frequently in. If it’s a short stumble to your favorite bar… well you get the idea. Make sure you choose a place that is convenient and fits your lifestyle. By now you’ve hopefully gained a feel for the lay of the land. Keep in mind what’s close and what’s not when considering moving into a place.

Make Sure Everything Works

Make sure everything’s in full working order. Leave no window untested, not door unopened, no light switch unflipped. Check the water pressure and make sure it’s hot enough for your 30 minute showers. (Okay that’s a stretch, but make sure it’s hot) If there is anything that’s not working, make sure the landlord knows and plans to fix it. No one wants to live in an apartment every year with non-working lights, or worse…

You should also note the amenities. Know what’s important to you. If you can’t survive without a designate parking spot, or absolutely need a laundry machine in your building, make sure they’ve got that. Some people can live without a dishwasher, some people eat off paper plates for an entire year. You should also check if utilities are included, that can be a really great benefit. Especially if you go to school in a state with long cold winters.

Does Your Apartment Work for You?

As you walk around the house or apartment, think about what you’ll be doing in every day life. Is the bathroom big enough to fit your 1,000 pieces of makeup? Do you have enough outlets in your living room for the surround sound, 10 different video game systems, and the kegerator? Make sure everything in the place is conducive to the way you’d like to set up your pad.

If you there’s anything you don’t like, don’t be afraid to let the landlord know. They might be very willing to make some easy changes to the place if it will help you sign a lease with them.

Read Your Lease!

Once you’ve checked everything out, don’t forget to read the lease. This is like, really important. You’re signing your name to it, it’s legally binding, read it. It’s not like the iTunes terms and conditions. It’s pretty serious. Well, you get the idea, read the damn thing.

Some students spend hours, even days on end, in the library. It’s a great place, I hear, full of resources and quiet areas and there’s usually a great supply of coffee nearby. Whether you know the layout of the library like the back of your hand or have to ask directions every time you’re supposed to meet there for a group project, creating the ideal study zone in your college apartment is extremely beneficial. So we’ve put together a few helpful tips on building your fortress of study-tude.

Know How to Eliminate Your Distractions

Some people can pump out 10 page research papers while the rest of their house is throwing a level 5 rager, some people can’t get anything done if there’s so much as a TV turned on too loud. Your space needs to be completely free of distractions. That doesn’t mean you can’t take a break now and then, but separate your work space from the rest of your apartment. The best study zone starts with the one keeps your mind focused on studying.
Good Furniture Facilitates Good Focus

Propping your laptop on a couple of milk crates next your extra large bean bag chair may not be the most conducive to getting work done. Make sure you’ve given yourself enough space for your laptop, notes, and books. Being able to navigate quickly between all your resources is important, Organize everything in whichever way makes you feel the most comfortable working. Your chair should be comfortable too, since you should be spending a decent amount of time there. Get something that can swivel, a good cushion, and better back support. If you get something fancy with nice leather, you’re that much closer to being a boss.

Whiteboards are Perfect for Notes

They’re not just for mad scientists or child prodigies, a whiteboard is a great tool to enhance your study powers. It’s the perfect blank canvas to tackle your problems one by one, all in one place. Plus, it’s pretty good for the environment to not waste 100’s of pieces of scrap paper.

Good Lighting Sets the Mood

I mean for studying, of course. Bright white lights will burn your eyeholes out while dull lights while a dim atmosphere may help put you to sleep. Nice soft, yellow overhead lighting is generally the best source of light for studying. Enough so that you can see everything clearly but not anything that’s going to blind you. I would rely on that five dollar desk lamp to be your only source of light.

Living in the right area is, of course, also important for a good home study environment. Thanks to our massive resource, you have your pick of the litter as far as where you want to live. Of course, you’ll still want to start looking for a place early. So check out our housing map for your school. If you have any questions or need any help, feel free to send us an email!

Let’s be honest here, you most likely “had a few friends over” more than a time or two this school year. Everybody does. No worries there. However, if you ended up with a hole punched through the drywall, or a broken door or window, you’re not the only one. It’s time to assign the cleaning duties and get your place ready for inspection. It’s almost summertime, and cleaning your place is the last thing on your mind, and most likely the last thing that you want to do, unless of course, you want your security deposit back.

Here are a few tips for you Hoosiers to consider if you want a little extra jingle in your pocket starting the summer: