Student Legal Services at Ohio State recommends students go through their lease with an attorney through Student Legal Services at Ohio State before entering a sublease agreement. Credit: Lydia Weyrich | Lantern File Photo
Ohio State students who study abroad, get internships outside of Columbus or generally move out may look to sublet their apartment to someone else.
A sublease creates an agreement between themselves as the sublessor and another person, the sublessee, that states that the sublessee will take over the sublessor’s lease for a certain period of time, according to a university website.
Some students who sublet their apartment experience a straightforward, convenient process.
For Cailin Janas, a third-year in strategic communication, this process of finding someone to take her lease was not simple.
“[Finding someone] was really hard, I’m not gonna lie,” Janas said. “I posted it a bunch of times, and I just said, ‘[direct message] me for details.’ I got a couple people asking, but then as soon as I told them the price, they ghosted me.”
After having no luck finding someone to take her lease for her Rambler Columbus apartment before she studies abroad in the spring, Janas said her mom started to help her out.
They made multiple posts on Ohio State sublet Facebook groups. They started getting responses from people interested, but once they shared the rent price of the apartment, people either stopped communicating or said it was too expensive, similar to what Janas experienced herself.
Things finally changed when Janas’ mom posted that they were willing to negotiate a price.
“She got a ton of people so fast, and she negotiated with I don’t know how many people,” Janas said. “Maybe started with one, and I think that’s who we’re going with because she took a little bit of the price.”
After she decides who will replace her, Janas said the other party has to fill out an application to the Rambler Columbus to sublease her apartment.
Ohio State offers students the opportunity to publish a sublet ad on its online housing search website, which students can access with their Ohio State logins. Students must be looking for a sublessee to assume the responsibility of their existing lease and confirm the lease allows them to sublet, according to the requirements listed on Ohio State’s website.
Some property managers may have their original renter remain on the lease, while other property managers may remove departing students and start a brand-new lease with the individual who is subletting.
The website also states that certain leases may state that if damage is done to a student’s unit during their lease term, even if they have moved out, they may be responsible for damages. That’s even if the damage was done by the individual who is subletting.
Maya Piechowiak, a third-year in strategic communication, had a different experience from Janas’. Her experience subleasing went much smoother due to personal connections, she said.
Piechowiak got a summer internship this year in Columbus.
Originally from Medina, she knew that she needed somewhere to stay this summer to go to work Monday through Friday.
A woman in Piechowiak’s sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, shared that her roommate was interning elsewhere, and that there was an open spot in her house.
“I was like, well, this worked out perfectly, because I was really looking for cheaper housing rather than a $1,500-a-month apartment or whatever those numbers look like,” Piechowiak said. “It was perfect to live with my friends and then be down here this summer.”
Piechowiak said that the payment process was easy. She would simply Venmo the original tenant her share of the rent and the other girls in the house money for utilities.
Piechowiak added that compared with other summer housing options, subletting from someone was the best option for her, financially.
“It was definitely more doable,” Piechowiak said. “I would not have been able to do this internship this summer without taking out a loan if I wanted to live in the Rambler or whatever the case may be. That just would not have been doable at all.”
Piechowiak said that the more people that students reach out to or know, the easier the subleasing process is.
“You’re not going to live with your best friend when you sublease,” Piechowiak said. “Just finding somewhere that works for you, financially, is the way to go, in my opinion.”
To post a sublet ad or to view other sublet ads, visit offcampus.osu.edu/resources/housing-resources/sublet-resources.
