Is daughter getting ripped off by friends—paying rent all summer not living in rental?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought college rentals began in the fall, and kids sublease the final summer months (May June and July) to someone. Seems the roommates who were long planning to stay in the city got all the advantage, including cheaper rent this summer and an empty room not filled with a random sublessee. If daughter didn't sign until May, obviously nobody else was going to live in that place this summer, so why couldn't she just wait to sign until August? Seems daughter was peer pressured to sign before going home to alleviate burden of roommates divvying up 3 months of her rent. Daughter essentially subsidizes kids who were staying in the city this summer. That's how it seems.

Not my experience with my own college rental and my two college grad kids. My own rental started July 1. The building also ran Jan 1-June 30 six month rentals for visiting professors, people on internships, etc.

My child and step child had June 1 leases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought college rentals began in the fall, and kids sublease the final summer months (May June and July) to someone. Seems the roommates who were long planning to stay in the city got all the advantage, including cheaper rent this summer and an empty room not filled with a random sublessee. If daughter didn't sign until May, obviously nobody else was going to live in that place this summer, so why couldn't she just wait to sign until August? Seems daughter was peer pressured to sign before going home to alleviate burden of roommates divvying up 3 months of her rent. Daughter essentially subsidizes kids who were staying in the city this summer. That's how it seems.

You're saying "seems" a lot but I didn't get any of that. If the other roommates were planning to stay in the city, they would have to get housing after spring semester let out - otherwise they're homeless. If OP's DD was planning to live with them, she likely looked at apartments with them and knew their plans to stay. She could have advertised for a subletter in May, or even in June to defray some of the cost. I highly doubt she was dragged there with no notice to sign a lease she didn't know was going to cover the summer.

Also she's not subsidizing them because they're still paying their portion. There's no scenario where it makes sense for them to cover her bedroom on their own when they're not using it and they could have gotten a smaller apartment without her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought college rentals began in the fall, and kids sublease the final summer months (May June and July) to someone. Seems the roommates who were long planning to stay in the city got all the advantage, including cheaper rent this summer and an empty room not filled with a random sublessee. If daughter didn't sign until May, obviously nobody else was going to live in that place this summer, so why couldn't she just wait to sign until August? Seems daughter was peer pressured to sign before going home to alleviate burden of roommates divvying up 3 months of her rent. Daughter essentially subsidizes kids who were staying in the city this summer. That's how it seems.

Because all three girls wanted to live there during the year but the only way they could afford it is if they split the rent three ways from the start. It does benefit the roommates more, but your daughter agreed to this. She wasn't ripped off.

[Anonymous]

OP, what’s the alternative? Her friends keep an open spot in the apartment for her all summer on their dime? As others have said, your daughter’s options were to find a subletter for the summer, to pay rent to hold her spot, or to not live with them. It does seem like a bad financial move, but nobody is cheating her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought college rentals began in the fall, and kids sublease the final summer months (May June and July) to someone. Seems the roommates who were long planning to stay in the city got all the advantage, including cheaper rent this summer and an empty room not filled with a random sublessee. If daughter didn't sign until May, obviously nobody else was going to live in that place this summer, so why couldn't she just wait to sign until August? Seems daughter was peer pressured to sign before going home to alleviate burden of roommates divvying up 3 months of her rent. Daughter essentially subsidizes kids who were staying in the city this summer. That's how it seems.

Off-campus rentals begin whenever the landlord has an empty unit they want to rent. There's no rule re: college students. Nothing prevented your daughter from trying to sublet her room. The idea that she couldn't have found someone in May is bizarre, especially if this is in a city. She simply didn't try.

She couldn't wait until August because if she did, presumably she wouldn't be living in this place with these friends. What possible incentive would the other 3 have to "hold" her spot for her instead of getting someone else to take the 4th spot?

If you really feel your college-aged daughter is able to be peer-pressured into signing legal documents with financial implication, you should use this summer to work with her on some life skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought college rentals began in the fall, and kids sublease the final summer months (May June and July) to someone. Seems the roommates who were long planning to stay in the city got all the advantage, including cheaper rent this summer and an empty room not filled with a random sublessee. If daughter didn't sign until May, obviously nobody else was going to live in that place this summer, so why couldn't she just wait to sign until August? Seems daughter was peer pressured to sign before going home to alleviate burden of roommates divvying up 3 months of her rent. Daughter essentially subsidizes kids who were staying in the city this summer. That's how it seems.

Rentals start when the landlord starts the lease. These other girls were going to find a place starting over the summer, so your daughter’s options were to sign the lease and pay for the months she wasn’t there, sign the lease and find a sub-tenant for the summer, or pass on living with these girls and find her own housing for the fall. She chose the first option, which was entirely her own decision.

Further, if she’s paying it out of her own money, why is this your issue?

[Anonymous]

My daughter took a summer job located at her university. She is paying to sublet over the summer for the two months that she is using the apartment and does not have to pay rent for the month she is home. She is allowed to keep her stuff in the apartment until she moves back on campus for fall semester. Other roommates in the apartment have made similar arrangements to defray the costs. Your DC could have found someone to sublet over the summer too. But either way, if she wants to live there in the fall she needs to pay rent even if she isn’t using or subletting the space.

[Anonymous]

Why would you jump to the conclusion that the other girls are ripping her off rather than her having done the work to find someone to sublet?

[Anonymous]

I live in a university city and it there are no such thing as 9 month rentals, everything is 12 month. People sublet their apartments at below market rate for the summers because a third of the city is gone.

[Anonymous]

Is it possible that she IS subletting the place to someone, but writing the check to the landlord and then getting reimbursed by the subletter?

That is, I can see a situation where the landlord either doesn’t want subletters, or doesn’t want to deal with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would you jump to the conclusion that the other girls are ripping her off rather than her having done the work to find someone to sublet?

Agreed......bit the idea of allowing a sublet is a bit controversial. Do the other roomates have right of approval or can you foist amy maniac willing to pay rent on your friends? My DD is going away a semester junior year so will likely need to pay a years rent and only stay in the apartment for 4 months......seems insanely wasteful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you jump to the conclusion that the other girls are ripping her off rather than her having done the work to find someone to sublet?

Agreed......bit the idea of allowing a sublet is a bit controversial. Do the other roomates have right of approval or can you foist amy maniac willing to pay rent on your friends? My DD is going away a semester junior year so will likely need to pay a years rent and only stay in the apartment for 4 months......seems insanely wasteful.

Does she know anyone who will be abroad the other semester and may want to split a lease?

[Anonymous]

No she doesn't get to opt out of paying rent just because she left for the summer. Do you expect her roommates to pay their own rent plus her share? That makes no sense. The landlord isn't going to just charge her for the nights she actually sleeps there. It's an apartment, not a hotel.

My own college student has had 12 month leases beginning in July or August, but a June 1 start date is not outrageous. Not all landlords and property managers in college towns cater to undergraduate students exclusively.

[Anonymous]

She’s also going abroad in January. Now her cash for the fall from summer job is going to be nearly $0 instead of $3000+. This was the dumbest decision I’ve ever seen her make. I think she was pressured and guilt tripped by self-serving friends who urgently needed one last person to join and she really didn’t get what she was doing. She’s never signed a lease before, she’s a naive teen. She had no business entering a lease that began in June. And she shouldn’t get into a lease when she’s going abroad. She could have subbed from someone this fall for one semester. Now she’s paying for 3-4. Dumb!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She’s also going abroad in January. Now her cash for the fall from summer job is going to be nearly $0 instead of $3000+. This was the dumbest decision I’ve ever seen her make. I think she was pressured and guilt tripped by self-serving friends who urgently needed one last person to join and she really didn’t get what she was doing. She’s never signed a lease before, she’s a naive teen. She had no business entering a lease that began in June. And she shouldn’t get into a lease when she’s going abroad. She could have subbed from someone this fall for one semester. Now she’s paying for 3-4. Dumb!

Sounds like the apple didn't fall far from the tree considering you didn't understand how leases work.