The 6 Reasons to list your Sublease on Shack
Don't waste your time searching for a tenant! Let Shack do it for you.
How well do you know your different options to finding a sublease tenant (aka someone to sign your sublease)? Probably pretty well if you have considered these six groups!
Our goal is that this article gives you that 'Aha!' moment to list your place on Shack and start appealing to these 6 groups!
1. The Transfer Student
The first stop in your search to find a student sublease should be transfer students. Every year, students change their academic plans and need to relocate, so they begin their search for housing at another college campus. And at the same time, there are hundreds of students who need to find a sublease tenant, but overlook this simple solution to finding one. Transfer students are always swapping academic programs mid-year at inconvenient times when primary leases aren't readily available. By primary lease, we mean signing a contract with a landlord or property manager, instead of an approved student sublease.
According to the Department of Education, one out of every four college students will decide to transfer programs before graduating from a secondary institution. Hosts, make sure to include transfer students in your search for a sublease tenant.
2. The Early Graduate
What does it mean to sublease hosts that some college students graduate early? Sure it means that these kids are "academic weapons" and are most likely at the top of their class, but more importantly for you, it means that students don't want to dole out an entire year's rent. So they search for one semester subleases, rather than whole year ones. Take advantage of early graduates if you are looking to fill an unoccupied apartment for first semester.
3. College seniors who just gained admission to Graduate programs at your school
Group number three mostly applies to students who attend larger schools with opportunities after undergrad. The strategy behind group three is to target incoming graduate students at your school. Since they are most likely new to the area, they are likely to be unfamiliar with the apartment and house offerings at your school. Take this into account when you speak with them, catering your message to their situation. Take for example, "great location near the Medical Campus you will be training at." Trust in that they will be happy to have someone familiar with their new school to talk to.
4. PhD & Research Students
Similar to the above subleasing strategy, PhD & Research students are also likely to be unfamiliar with the campus layout. There are two prime positions to be in when targeting group four. Prime position A) takes place when you and all of your roommates will be leaving the apartment unoccupied. PhD and older Research students are usually not keen on splitting an apartment with 21 year old college students. Prime position B) takes place if you currently live in a studio or one bedroom apartment. This is usually the best time to let PhDs know that you have something for them. Because most PhD programs are significantly smaller than any undergraduate programs, it is unlikely the PhD has a list of roommates he/she is looking to move in with. Viola - A solo studio!
5. The College Student w/ an Incompatible Roomate
This one's pretty self-explanatory, but you would be surprised at the number of college students who end up disliking their roommate after several months of living together. Take for example my friend Joe who's been best friends with Ben all of Freshman and Sophomore year of college. They were so close that they signed a lease to be roommates Junior year... Fast forward several months: now they argue over how clean the kitchen is, loud music in the living room, having other friends over constantly - you name it. The moral of the story is that college students want and need a safety net of housing flexibility.
6. The College Freshman
Similar to the example above, there are many instances where college freshman go into the roommate selection process blind. Whether this blind selection is voluntary, or the school requires it, is beside the point. What is important; however, is that college freshman are tempted to find alternative accommodations as a result of obnoxious roommates.
On the other side of the same coin there are students who select their desired living area on campus only to be placed miles away by the selection system. While this is unfortunate, it happens all the time and leaves students with 20+ minute morning walks to class. This is where you swoop in and offer them a shorter morning commute.
These 6 strategies are best-in-class for finding and securing your next sublease tenant. However, as genius as they are, there is only one solution that is far simpler and more convenient that messaging an unhappy Freshman. That superior solution is Shack, the most trustworthy, secure, and efficient platform for sublease guests and hosts. We created Shack to take the hassle out of subleasing, and it's working! Post your place using the 'Create Listing' menu above and start receiving messages from sublease guests interested in living at your listing. It's that simple, convenient, and free!
We hope you enjoyed learning about Shack as well as these six unique audiences - leave us a comment below on your previous subleasing experiences!
Disclosure: All students are encouraged to clear any sublease tenant by their landlord or property manager. Failure to do so may result in void contracts, penalties, and fines.