With leases signed, students hunt for subletters

Colleen Donovan and her roommates aren't desperate yet, but give them time - it's only March.

The four College juniors signed a June 1 lease for a house on the 3900 block of Delancey Street, but, come June, none of them expects to remain in Philadelphia.

With internships lined up in New York City and Washington, the girls are currently taking on the not-so-small problem of how to pay this summer's rent while they're out of town.

It's official - Donovan and her roommates have joined the annual race to find summer subletters.

Each summer, thousands of students pour out of Philadelphia and into other cities for internships, summer jobs and classes, leaving behind hundreds of vacancies in off-campus apartments and houses. And because most landlords in University City operate on year-long leases, it's up to students either to shell out the extra rent money themselves or to look for subletters.

"Subletting is a wonderful way to save on rent, . but you've got to do it right," Office of Off-Campus Living Director Mihaela Farcas said.

For one thing, Donovan and her roommates have had trouble showing their house to prospective subletters - because they don't actually live there yet.

And then there's the issue of finding someone responsible.

"It's a nice house; we don't really want it trashed," Donovan said.

Of those who choose to remain on or near Penn's campus for the summer, upwards of 300 undergraduate students opt for on-campus living, while an unknown number seek sublets and off-campus accommodations.

There is no way to account for arrangements made through friends, classified ads and other means, Farcas said.

Most agree that the ratio of students that choose to stay on campus versus those that choose to leave makes Penn's campus a renter's market, at least for the summer.

On the other hand, demand for summer housing near campus has increased in recent years. "Students are not losing as much as they used to," she said, estimating the average loss at about 20 percent of a month's rent.

College junior Claire Robertson, one of Donovan's roommates, said they haven't agreed on an asking price yet but said that, "the more desperate you get, the more avenues you'll try."

J DeMeo, a Dental student, said he was so eager to find a subletter for his studio apartment at 41st and Spruce streets he reduced the monthly rent from $900 to $550.

Some students said campus landlords could do more to make the process go smoothly.

DeMeo said University City Associates's $50 subletting fee was "kind of a pain in the butt," and other landlords' fees are even higher.

However, Wharton sophomore Juliana Bogoricin, who will be subletting her studio apartment at 40th and Pine streets for the summer and fall, said she was happy her landlord, Campus Apartments, already had a specific subletting protocol in place.

Through Campus Apartments, Bogoricin was able to arrange a contract that stipulates the subletters' direct payment to the landlord.

"Once you start advertising, you relax," Bogoricin added.

Likewise, most students are optimistic they will find subletters eventually. But until then, there's just a lot of waiting.

"My parents ask every week, 'So, how's that whole subletting process going?'" Donovan said.

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