CHELSEA POWRIE

Although subletting your apartment can be a great way to save money during the summer, it’s important to take the necessary steps to execute sublease attempts properly.

Before you begin, priority number one is to consult your lease and your landlord. Even if nothing is mentioned in your lease about prohibiting sublets, it’s best to err on the side of caution and obtain explicit written permission. Failing to do so could result in damage to your credit score, eviction from your apartment or even legal action against you.

The Government of Saskatchewan’s web page for the Office of Residential Tenancies has information about the respective responsibilities in this situation and is worth a thorough read before taking any action.

Your next step is to find someone interested in moving in. There’s a few ways to go about this but the safest is through friend groups. If you can find someone you already know or someone that others can vouch for, you’ll be far less likely to end up with a tenant who misbehaves. Of course, this isn’t always possible, so your next option is to post an ad.

The University of Saskatchewan’s housing website provides a link to Saskatoon Kijiji as a source for rentals and sublets, so this is a good place to start in order to reach student traffic. Taking care in the creation of your advertisement is paramount, as a slapdash write up will come across as unprofessional and probably miss highlighting important aspects of your place.

Include photographs of your tidy apartment — wash those dirty dishes and hide discarded laundry — and outline prices and rules explicitly. This way, you won’t waste your time on inquiries that eventually turn out to be inappropriate for your space, such as the girl with four cats who applied without realizing your building had a no-pet policy.

As for pricing, be sure to include the excess costs outside of your standard rent. Will you be leaving your wireless internet hooked up for them? Which utilities are included? If you’re looking to ensure you nab a tenant, it is a good idea to price down the rent a little bit and cover the balance yourself. You’re still getting a huge discount on your summer expenses and your place will be more likely to be snapped up. Being explicit about all of this in your ad will make it more likely to garner responses.

Once you have some inquiries, you’re required to give the potential tenant a showing if they request it. Cleanliness is still key at this point and anything else you can think of to make the place desirable.

Then, once you’ve picked a tenant, another written agreement should be signed. Make sure they sign off on the current state of your place and take note of any existing damage. You may request a security deposit, which can’t exceed one month’s rent. Be prepared to back up your claim to keep the deposit after they move out — before and after photos are extra insurance — or return it within seven days of their vacancy.

Hopefully at this point you’ve found someone you are happy with, but your work isn’t quite done. Remove any valuables or personal items. Make sure your tenant understands when rent is due and agree upon a method of delivery. Options include monthly e-transfers and post-dated cheques. Agree upon a procedure for moving out and specify what cleaning you’ll want done. Ensure your tenant knows how to get in contact with you and leave a list of answers to common questions such as Wi-Fi passwords or garbage and recycling details so they don’t have to bother you for those. Finally, set a date and time to transfer keys.

The process for subletting can seem daunting and is certainly not without risks. Just remember, you’re still responsible for everything under your lease, so take as many steps as possible to ensure you’ve covered your liability bases and enjoy your discounted rent with peace of mind.

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Image: Jeremy Britz