Renters search for summer tenants

It's almost summer and leasers are searching for people to fill their apartments and houses to avoid renting an empty space for the next three months.

Even with students staying in Kirksville for summer school and work, finding subleasers proves a difficult task for some.

Senior Caroline Forsythe said she is starting to regret her decision to procrastinate her subleaser search. She said she didn't post information until April 1, but by that time, there already were numerous other sublease fliers up.

"I'm probably way late on the game, but we kept just putting it off and putting it off," Forsythe said.

She said she is going to London for the summer for an internship and her roommate is not staying in Kirksville, so her apartment will be empty for the summer. Unfortunately, Forsythe said her lease, which like most leases, is a yearlong contract, meaning she will have to pay rent although she will not be at her apartment.  

Forsythe said she has put up fliers in the Student Union Building, Pickler Memorial Library and at the Newman Center. She said that so far no one has contacted her.

Forsythe said if she finds a subleaser  the next task would be figuring out the legal aspects. She said she most likely would have the subleaser sign a contract with the landlord to ensure responsibility for any damages. Forsythe said that because all her appliances, supplies and furniture will be available for a subleaser's use, another difficult part of the process is finding someone she can trust.

She said the most complicated parts of this process are figuring out when to pay the landlord and keeping her credit intact.

Forsythe said although the process can be difficult, finding a subleaser would be beneficial for everyone. She said it helps the subleaser because she thinks it provides a less expensive housing option during the summer and it helps her and her roommate to pay rent while they are not there.

For summer school 2011, on campus housing is available in West Campus Suites and Campbell Apartments. As an example of housing costs, if a student took a 10 week course and stayed in a single suite in West Campus, it would cost approximately $1,560 plus $560 for a meal plan, according to the Office of Residence Life website. Forsythe said if she had two subleasers, they would pay $220 each per month for rent plus a utilities cost for water.

Forsythe said she advises others who consider subleasing their apartments or houses in the future to start early because it's a long and uncertain process.

Dick Cole, part owner and manager of C & J Rentals, said he has helped many students through this process. Cole said of his 34 apartments, students occupy most of them and many decide to try subleasing throughout the year.

Cole said that subleasing is the tenants' responsibility.

"I always tell them, ‘If you sublease, make sure you get something in writing.' It's just good business."

Cole said he has no problem with tenants subleasing and many of the students ask him for his input. He said he advises students to find someone they trust and have some sort of agreement. He said he recently dealt with a sublease situation in which a subleaser caused damage to an apartment during her stay and the tenant is trying to figure out repair responsibilities.

Amber Hampton, an employee with The Language Company in Kirksville, said for international students, the summer housing process can be a challenge because they are not used to the leasing procedures.

She said TLC-Kirksville features a program that teaches English to international students and introduces them to the culture and academic experience of the United States.

Hampton said the company recently began working with the sublease process because many students in the program wanted to live by themselves or off campus. She said students expressed an interest in living with an American roommate to learn more about the culture and practice English.

No international students have signed subleases with TLC for the summer yet, but Hampton said TLC-Kirksville put out fliers and received a few American contacts who were interested in housing international students. She said this is a great opportunity for American students to learn about other cultures as well.

"It's kind of an experiment to see how this works with international students and American students working together," Hampton said. "I think it will have a positive result — broadening students' options and getting a deeper sense of American culture and living."