Why sublet your Apartment? Scenarios that can/cannot be avoided

The trend of subletting an apartment is on the rise among Indian students. There are a number of reasons to why this trend is on the rise. Subletting saves money but is also a tedious process. Landlords do not like the idea of someone else staying in their house/apartment after a different person has signed a rental agreement.

Here are a few scenarios and the solutions to those explained in both the extremes,

Early Graduation

Most students draw up a rental agreement based on the duration of the course. However, it might not hold good since many smart students finish their courses early and move onto a job or high education. In this case, subletting is the most practical choice in this scenario.

The more sensible option is to include a roommate right from the beginning if you plan to try and complete a course easier than its duration. This will avoid surprising the landlord with the decision to move out early. Also, keep the landlord informed about your academic progress to ensure he knows that you might leave earlier than your agreement suggests.

Cost of living goes up

If you took the apartment for rent along with a roommate and if the roommate is moving out then the cost of living goes up! This not just upset your finance but also could mean that you will have to find a cheaper abode. In this case, try and convince your landlord to bring in a different roommate or ask for a rebate since utilities are used less.

You get an opportunity elsewhere

Internships or a job opportunity far away from your rented residence might force you to vacant earlier than anticipated. To sublet your apartment instead of leaving it locked is the ideal choice. However, the landlord might not be too enthusiastic about it. If it is an internship for a month or so, it is best you do pay the rent and bills while keeping it locked and be back for your routine studies or job. However, if you are planning to move altogether, you have no choice rather than sublet or cancel the agreement with the owner.

The same applies if you plan to move in together with someone else. The smart move is to not cancel your agreement or sublet the apartment in haste but to hold out for a couple of months, at the very least for obvious reasons! You will require a place to fall back to in an uneventful situation.

Most of these scenarios are unavoidable and unpredictable! Make sure you are in the good book of your landlord for him to be considerate when such a situation arises. If the landlord waives you off the hook then you need not sublet your apartment. However, if you have no other choice, use Sulekha and find the right people.