Replacement Car Keys And Other Keys To A Safe, Smooth Subletting Experience

Subletting your home or apartment while you're on vacation can be a very lucrative

venture--a nice way to justify having a few extra margaritas on the beach. It can also be nervewracking, conjure images of your local locksmiths working overtime, your sofa on the front lawn, or worse, in the pool.

1. How do you find the perfect strangers to occupy your home?

On the internet, where else? There's Craigslist, yes, but if you prefer to draw from a smaller crowd, a crowd that requires a little bit more verification to participate, you can check out sites like Sabbaticalhomes.com or Couchsurfers.com or 1sthomeexchange.com.

Bonus: if you don't have a specific vacation planned, a great option on some of these sites is the home swap. How about a week in Slovenia? Barcelona? Boston? You're likely to find responsible guests for your home if you happen to be in their home at the same time.

2. Check references. Ask for three, and not just personal ones. Speak to the references, and make sure you get a good feeling from them. You can spend $30 - $40 and do a background check, if you want to take it a step further.

3. Draw up a basic, legally binding agreement to secure payment that includes a damaged property clause. Get 50% deposit in advance.

4. Don't sublet on the DL (that's "down low", if you weren't sure). If you're a renter, tell your landlord and your super. Most leases allow a week or two of subletting, and they'll appreciate being in the loop. Whether you rent or own your home, let your neighbors know who's going to be there in your place and for how long.

5. Have your local locksmiths make a duplicate set of all your keys. If you will be allowing your subletters to use your car, make replacement car keys, too. Give a spare set to a third party, a neighbor, or local family member or trusted friend.

6. Consider changing the locks after the subletters leave. It may seem extreme, or expensive, but now that you've got all those keys floating around, it's a precautionary measure that might help you sleep a little better at night. Incorporate the cost for all of these things in the rent you're charging.

7. Let's talk about pets. Your pets, their pets. First of all, be clear if no pets are allowed. That's the simplest scenario.

If you have pets and hope your subletter will care for them for you, it's a whole other ballpark. If you are subletting to strangers, my recommendation is to arrange care for your pets from another, trusted source, like a local kennel or a friend. Certainly if you have a dog.

If you have an adult cat or two who will suffer from being removed from their familiar surroundings, you may ask your subletter to care for them, but remember that this is a service the subletter is providing, and account for that in the rental agreement.

8. Don't forget to leave emergency contact numbers! Personal contacts, doctors, hospitals, local locksmiths, etc.

9. Clean out the fridge, a few drawers, make some closet space. You may want to hire a cleaning company before the renters arrive and after they leave. (Another cost to include in the rent you're charging.) Nothing feels better than coming back home to spic-n-span, rather than someone else's dirty laundry.

by: Mark Etinger

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