Anonymous wrote:We just noticed our daughter has sent out two $1000 checks from checking account (connected to ours). Texted her what they’re to, she said she signed a lease just before she came home on her apartment with friends that began in June. So she’s paying for June, July, and August—$3000—to not live there. If the lease was still avail in May, why would my daughter have to sign 3 months early? I was in a dorm all 4 years at my alma mater, but in grad school leases would start in August, then you could sub the last 3 months. Was my daughter ripped off by friends or landlord or neither? She’s basically working for free all summer because of this. Seems ridiculous. The friends are apparently living there now and interning and taking summer classes.

You sound like a 10 percenter trying to scam the system. If she is on the lease then she Should Pay.

Let’s see, we paid double rent when my DD had internships. $1000 per month for 750 sq ft one bedroom in college town and $1200 for a 100 sq ft room in California. Oh, and we are still paying through August for the apartment at college even though she graduated in June. Btw, subleasing in a college town is pennies on the dollar because there are so many available apartments. It’s just part of the costs of college and you have to accept this.

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.

No.

Op this was a dumb move since she is only there fall semester - on HER part. Stop blaming her friends! That is bizarre. Why is it THEIR fault rather than hers??

She signed a contract through summer. She is paying her share of it. If she wanted a different deal then last summer she likely had an option not to sign for the summer and then maybe not be with the same students. DS is doing the same, but he decided not to keep the lease, we still have to pay for June and July, because that is what he signed up for. It is a contract.
If they don't offer 9 month lease, that is just the cost for her apartment and her room.

Anonymous wrote:

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!

I don’t know why you keep shifting the blame to her friends. (Presumably they, too, are naive teens.) If you’re so concerned, why didn’t you talk to her about her housing plans before?

Seems rather obvious, to me, if you’re only on campus from Sept-Dec because you’re back home this summer and studying abroad in Jan. you live in a dorm or sub for a single semester. Why in the “F” would you sign a 12 month lease?!

Anonymous wrote:Serious question: did you go to college?

How are there parents who are completely clueless about off-campus Housing? This isn’t some new invention.

Serious question: Can you read? It’s in the first post.

Anonymous wrote:

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!

I don’t know why you keep shifting the blame to her friends. (Presumably they, too, are naive teens.) If you’re so concerned, why didn’t you talk to her about her housing plans before?

I had significant financial aid to college, as did most of my friends, so blithely deciding to live off campus and pay 6-7 months for a place I wouldn’t live in was never an option. I HAD to earn $3000 for the summer to go towards my tuition in order to return to school and unless off campus was cheaper than a dorm, as much as it may mean not rooming with friends, I had to do what I could afford.

While you blame the friends, I question how your daughter has all that money she can waste. Unless the off campus is so much of a deal that 12 months and not being there for several of those months and not subletting is still cheaper than on campus with meal plan, your dd needs some basic budgeting/money management. What’s that saying when you point fingers at someone you have three fingers pointing back at you.

Serious question: did you go to college?

How are there parents who are completely clueless about off-campus Housing? This isn’t some new invention.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Man, by that logic I shouldn’t be responsible for my mortgage while I’m on vacation. Come on, OP.

Seems more like closing on a new house and paying on the new mortgage 3 months before you can move in.

Um, yeah, isn't that how it works?

It's standard OP, she wants to save her spot she pays the rent. I had to do this 20 years ago during internships, it's not a new issue.

This happened to me after my senior year of college. I wanted to live with certain people, and their jobs were starting in June. Lease started in June. My job started in October. I could have lives elsewhere, but I choose to live with them and had to pay.

I don’t know why you keep shifting the blame to her friends. (Presumably they, too, are naive teens.) If you’re so concerned, why didn’t you talk to her about her housing plans before?

It sounds like OP's DD realized after the semester ended that she had no where to live in the fall, so she found something last minute. I doubt that her friends twisted her arm - she was probably relieved to find something. I like to think that I'm not a helicopter parent, but the subject of "where do you plan to live next year" has invariably come up as the school year progresses. Maybe OP assumed that she would just stay in a dorm.

Anonymous wrote:

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?

I wish! Seems like everybody wants to go away spring semester.

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!

I don’t know why you keep shifting the blame to her friends. (Presumably they, too, are naive teens.) If you’re so concerned, why didn’t you talk to her about her housing plans before?