While a majority of students leave MSU and East Lansing during the summer, some who take classes or work in the area will be left to fill the rental vacancies.
Rather than sign a new housing agreement, some students move into apartments already locked into a yearlong lease. The practice, commonly referred to as subleasing, happens every year, but East Lansing officials and landlords say there are some issues to be cautious of.
Annette Irwin, East Lansing operations administrator for code enforcement and neighborhood conservation, said it is important that temporary renters occupying homes or apartments sign a sublease agreement so they are protected from being thrown out.
"As a subleaser, you need to protect yourself so you have the right to be there for a certain amount of time," she said. "With leasing, what you see is what you get."
Inspecting a rental and reading the existing lease are also important actions tenants and subleasers can do to protect themselves, Irwin said.
Lawn care, building maintenance and parking spots are just some of the items tenants need to make sure they are clear on before moving into a property, she added.
But some students said they resort to the honor system when selecting a subleaser.
"I didn't sign the sublease," graduate student Shane Singh said. "I stayed with some friends cause we were over-occupied in the house."
Kris Metzger, owner of Metzger Realty, said the most important advice for students choosing to sublease is to create a formal application and agreement that would stand up in court if any problems arose.
"Unless it's on paper a lot of your buddies will do you wrong," Metzger said.
Parties involved should request a driver's license number, Social Security number and exchange contact information, she said.
"It's a screening thing," Metzger said. "You have to be very careful that the person you are subleasing to is someone you would actually live with."
Psychology senior Jessica Blake said after a month of searching, she found a subleaser for her apartment this summer.
"I signed paperwork through the landlord," Blake said. "The landlord had us do something, and I had the girl put down a security deposit."
Metzger suggested that people interested in the subleasing option go to the MSU College of Law Rental Housing Clinic, 541 E. Grand River Ave. There, students can receive help with how to understand the language of leases and make official agreements.
"It's a really inexpensive way to protect yourself," Metzger said.
Staff writers Claire Cummings and Yvette Lanier contributed to this report.
