Finding someone to sublet can be an arduous task

For students facing final exams, projects and the stress of moving out at the end of the semester, subletting their apartment can be the last thing they want to worry about.

But for many students, subleasing is a necessity. Students looking for alternatives to USC housing generally lease apartments through one of the many off-campus housing companies  in the North University Park area. Many of these companies only offer 12-month leases, so students who leave for the summer are forced to either sublease or continue paying rent, even though they are not using their apartment.

Students looking to sublease apartments tend to rely on the Internet to connect with potential renters. Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and Uloop tend to be the most popular websites to post listings.

“I had a lot of luck with Facebook Marketplace, but not so much with Craigslist,” said Iris Fung, a senior majoring in international relations. “With Craigslist, there are a lot of spammers. It’s less specific to USC subletting. Facebook is more targeted to college students. Students use it a lot, so the marketplace is a natural place to look.”

Some students, however, think there should be a more streamlined process for finding people to sublet an apartment, given that a large number of students are looking to sublease every summer.

“I only know of Facebook Marketplace and Uloop. I looked at other websites, but I didn’t post a listing because I didn’t trust my information to be on them,” said Eileen O’Donnell, a senior majoring in theatre.

The various housing companies around campus each have their own policies regarding the length of a lease or student sublease.

First Choice Housing, formerly Cal Student Housing, offers students leases that range from nine to 12 months, according to a representative from the company’s leasing office. The length of the lease depends on factors such as when an apartment becomes available and how soon a student wants to move in.

Vaasu Swaminathan, a senior majoring in aerospace engineering, signed a 10-month lease with Cal Student Housing last school year.

“[The 10-month lease] was set at a slightly higher rate than a 12-month lease,” Swaminathan said. “But I didn’t have to look for someone to sublease over the summer because it ended the day after graduation.”

Stephanie Camacho, office manager of STUHO Student Housing, said that, although the company only offers yearlong leases from August to July, they are not against students subleasing their rooms. The company provides students with two different options.

Tenants can choose an assignment, which involves terminating the current tenant’s lease and transferring the entire lease to a new tenant. The new tenant would be required to complete STUHO’s entire application process and be approved by the landlord.

Alternatively, a student can choose to sublease, temporarily allowing someone to live in his room while he is away and take over rent payment. In this situation, the current tenant is still considered responsible for payment and any problems that could arise with the person filling their spot.

“We usually encourage that if it is someone you don’t know, you do an assignment,” Camacho said. “That way, you aren’t responsible for the next person.”

Many students said they would like to see more flexible lease lengths from the off-campus housing facilities.

“The best way to help us with this is just to do 10-month leases,” Swaminathan said. “I wouldn’t mind paying a little extra for that, just to avoid all of this.”

A shorter lease for students is not always feasible for housing companies, however.

“Our leases are yearlong,” said Anthony Montana, assistant manager of Moraga Student Housing. “We’re a small business. There is no way we can go three months without rent. The owners are trying to adapt to accommodate students, but I don’t know how much more they can do.”