Though the idea of an apartment excites many UCLA students, off-campus housing poses unique challenges, particularly for those leaving Westwood for the summer and choosing to sublet.
Hilary Crocker, supervisor of UCLA Community Housing, said subletting an apartment attracts those looking to maintain a more consistent and stable living space and minimize the financial burdens of switching leases or paying rent while not living in the apartment.
Crocker added that the Community Housing Office receives the most posts by those interested in subletting or finding roommates in May, as students cement their summer plans.
But finding and managing a subletter can be complicated and problematic.
“At the end of the day, you’re letting someone that you don’t know live in a place that you are responsible for,” said Lauren Post, a fourth-year political science and economics student. “You’re taking a risk.”
Elizabeth Kemper, director of Student Legal Services at UCLA, said she recommends signing a written contract and collecting a security deposit to minimize problems with the subletters.
Kemper also said obtaining the permission of the landlord can prove difficult, particularly for those unaware of a provision in many leases which requires prior written consent of the landlord.
“If the student does not get something in writing, it’s an illegal sublease and it can lead to eviction,” she added.
Kemper said the eviction can make it more difficult for the individuals on the lease to rent an apartment in the future and can leave subtenants who thought they had engaged in a legitimate sublease agreement scrambling to find a place to live.
“It’s very important to work with the landlord in subleasing situations,” she added.
But as Post and her roommate discovered, such preemptive efforts do not always ensure protection. They ran into trouble when they returned from abroad to find a heavily stained carpet and two subtenants who did not feel the damage warranted the use of the security deposit to repair.
“You just have to be really careful,” Post said. “You have to be really firm with your subletters up front.”
To deal with the challenge of finding reliable subletters, Crocker said students should network with each other and take advantage of online listings such as the one managed by the Community Housing Office at UCLA to find subletters.
“It’s good to deal in person and locally if at all possible,” she added.
Kemper also said she feels it is important that students explore avenues other than Craigslist.
“The nightmare scenarios that come off of Craigslist are just mind-boggling,” she said. Kemper added that students who advertise through the Community Housing Office database or Facebook Marketplace tend to experience fewer issues.
Aria Link, a fourth-year political science and international development studies student, dealt firsthand with not being able to find subletters. Despite advertising on campus and via Craigslist, Link and her roommates had to give up their apartment when no one committed to live in their apartment for their time abroad.
“It was really hard because everyone is kind of competing and trying to find people to sublet,” Link said. She added that those looking to sublet should start looking early and be flexible.
Though the process can drain the subletters, many students feel the benefits of subletting outweigh the headaches and potential risks.
“It was still worth not having to pay the rent,” Post said.