It is pretty often that there are students who are either looking to sublease their apartment or looking for a short-term sublease! It is only recently that some properties in the campus area are even offering semester-long leases (as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic) and typically these monthly rental rates are much higher for the shorter term. Therefore, subleasing can be the way to go!
Here are 3 tips if you wanting to find a sublease or sublease your own place. Here we go —
1. Facebook Groups
You should start checking Facebook groups with the word “sublease,” “sublet,” and your location. For UT students, there are two great groups that are still active called “UT Austin Sublets/Roommate Finder” and “Greater Austin Area – Housing & Roommate Finder”.
Put out a message saying you are either [LOOKING] or [OFFERING]. (All caps help catch people’s attention.) Make sure to include pictures of the apartment, and also put all important information: term dates, price, size. The best posts are the ones that deliver the most information in as few characters as possible. Be one of those posts!
2. Flyers around Campus
This one is a bit more old-school.
Make flyers saying you are subleasing your apartment. Put a picture of the unit if you can, and include the price, size, and the dates you are looking to rent out. Include a phone number and an e-mail for them to contact. If you are feeling fancy, design your flyer to include various little rips at the bottom with your contact information.
I recommend picking a bright color for your paper to make it stand out. Think pink or lime green. Get creative!
Print out flyers at the library and start putting them up around high-traffic areas of campus. Put them up in the buildings where you have classes and club meetings. They usually have bulletin boards in the hallways. The one risk you run here, however, is that there are lots of things on these bulletin boards, so your flyer may be covered—or worse, ignored.
Also, I highly recommend getting a staple gun and putting up flyers on telephone poles around campus. Put them up along Guadalupe and over in front of the tower and near the gyms and dorms. You might just catch something! Also, staple guns are awesome. You know you’ve secretly been looking for a reason to buy a staple gun.
3. Airbnb
Just recently, Airbnb has come out with Airbnb Sublets! This is perfect if you are looking for a very very short-term sublease, like just over the summer of June-August for an internship, or something similar. While it may be more on the expensive side, you will have the security of knowing that it has been verified by Airbnb and all offers are legit. It is certainly the most convenient and time-saving option.
Happy subleasing!
