U.S. Campus Life Finding a subletter By Masako Yamada	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
ルームメート募集中 現在雅子さんは寝室が4部屋あるアパートに3人のルームメートと住んでいます。しかし、ルームメートのうちの2人が7月に引っ越すことになりました。その後を空き部屋のままにしておくと、無駄な家賃を払わなければなりません。アパートに残る雅子さんたちは、急きょ、部屋を借りてくれる人を探し始めました。

Ever since I entered graduate school, I have been living with three roommates in a four-bedroom (one-bathroom) apartment. I've gone through lots of roommate configurations. One year, I lived with three women. One year, I lived with three men. This year, I've had one male and two female roommates.

As is customary in our area, we signed a one-year lease for the apartment. It's difficult to find an apartment here if one cannot commit to a year-long lease. The penalty for breaking a lease can be a half-month's rent or even more. Our lease ends this August, and we've known for a while that two of the members would be moving out. My remaining roommate and I decided that we wanted to renew the lease, so we started talking about potential new roommates several months ago.

We found one new roommate very quickly, but we decided to take our time looking for the other, since we don't have to sign the new lease until July or August. However, the situation changed when the two roommates who were to leave on Sept. 1 suddenly announced that they were leaving on July 1, instead.

Since they knew that they were obligated to pay the rent until the lease was over, both of them started searching for subletters who would stay for the two months — July and August — before the new lease period. For many reasons, finding subletters has not been easy for us. My roommates only started posting advertisements on the Web two weeks before July 1, and most people with summer jobs or internships start in June, so not many people have been responding. The people who have responded have been asking whether two people could stay in one room and just pay for the cost of that room, or whether we have air-conditioning. I have also been afraid that some of them would not be financially responsible.

One of the larger questions we have been facing is whether the roommates who are moving out should have ultimate control of who sublets the room, or whether the roommates who are remaining should have the last say. In theory, the roommates who are moving out are only obligated to make sure that the subletters pay the rent. Since they are not going to be living with the subletters, there is really no need for them to care about character.

However, it's not all about money. The departing roommates understand that it is unfair to subject the remaining roommates to a new subletter without involving them in the decision-making process. At the same time, it's rather cruel for the remaining roommates to be so picky that no subletter is deemed appropriate. That would force the departing roommates to continue paying rent for a room they are not occupying. The person breaking the lease does have the obligation to provide the rent — somehow — but ideally, this would be accomplished by finding a subletter who can get along with the remaining roommates and be able to pay the rent.

As one of the roommates who will be remaining in the apartment, I've e-mailed, phoned and met several potential subletters to see whether they might be good candidates. Like any system where both the buyer and the seller have multiple options, the selection process is difficult, since both the potential subletter and the remaining roommates must agree that the match is good. If either side waits too long, they might miss out on other decent opportunities.

I have very lax standards when it comes to selecting subletters, but my other roommate who will be remaining with me is a little more selective. This, in itself, is causing some tension. And, of course, there is a natural boundary between the two roommates who have decided to leave with only two weeks notice, and the two roommates who will have to live with the consequences.

July 1 is approaching, and we are still looking for a subletter. All I can say is that I hope that the long recruiting process will end soon, and that we will all be satisfied.

Shukan ST: June 29, 2001

(C) All rights reserved