Three Subletters To Avoid

By Lev Novak

So, you’re getting a subletter.

Congrats! Maybe a friend is moving out, maybe you’re filling your vacancy, maybe you finally noticed a mysterious new glowing bedroom in your apartment and decided, hey, might as well get some rent in before we call Ghostbusters.

Whatever the case, you need to keep an eye open for these five signs.

1. Haggling

So your apartment, split between everyone, costs six-hundred and fifty dollars per person, so that’s what your subletter is going to pay, right?

Wrong.

The haggler has different ideas of what’s fair. Your apartment isn’t quite what they were looking for- would you consider accepting payment in a variety of colorful beads? How about eighty-bucks and a sandwich? Their room is a little bit smaller, so they should only pay five-hundred and eighty-four dollars, not the full six-fifty.

Ugh.

Don’t accept a haggler. Not because you’re cheap, but because the time you spend with them is going to be marked by similar complaints and arguments over, say, who buys toilet paper. You don’t have time for that.

Note: they are allowed to compare the price of your apartment and others. That’s fair. But once they come to decide on yours, the price is the price. Bend a little if it’s unfair, but anyone who makes a scene about it isn’t worth having.

2. The “Friend of a Friend of a Friend”

Heads up: you’re better off with a rando.

Not that there’s anything wrong with this guy, but at this stage of the game, he’s already a rando with one crucial difference: you’re not allowed to complain about him. You have to treat him like a friend and act like you know him, but he’s just a rando hiding as a person.

Randos aren’t ideal, but they sometimes work out. But part of the reason they work out is the lowered standards for randos. None of my randos have killed me or been difficult- I’m a success story!

The friend of a friend of a friend is a rando who expects to be treated as a friend. Approach with caution.

3. The Person You Promised Something To

You promised them the apartment isn’t always this dirty, or that the train is really a bit closer than it is, or…well it doesn’t matter.

You promised them something because you needed a subletter. And now they own you.

The shower is broken? That’s not your fault. But if you’ve given a promise about how “the landlord is super chill” –even in passing- then guess who has to deal with it? Guess who has to live up to the promise of the super chill landlord? You. Even if you’re abroad, even if you’re away, they’re going to expect you to handle this sort of thing, because you said “fell free to reach out” and they thought you meant it.

Fortunately, this is the one thing you control. Do not promise anything. Do not lie, even about small things while showing off. Don’t cover up a mistake or problem.

Be honest with your house, and let it shine through. And, if there’s a problem, remind them to deal with it. That’s it; they can live. It’s an apartment. Focus on the good, don’t lie about the bad, and be real. You’ll be happier long term.

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