<p>Hello again CC!</p>
<p>I come to you with a question that I'm afraid I'm not going to like the answer to. I am living at home this semester while on co-op, my friend is doing the same, and my other friend is abroad this semester. We thought it'd be great if we could all move in together upon our return to Boston in January. I guess a fourth girl got added into the mix at some point. </p>
<p>Anyone have any idea what the possibility of us finding a place that will sublet to all four of us is? I can't imagine that entire apartments will be on the market-- but will they? I don't have much off-campus experience, so I really don't know!</p>
<p>I'm thinking we're going to have to at least split up into pairs to have a better hope of at least living with someone else in the group.</p>
<p>Honestly?.. Zero to none. Sublets are designed by nature to fill spaces when other people just want to leave/be gone during their lease. This typically happens (especially around NEU) when people 1) go on co-op or study abroad outside of Boston without planning on it in advance or 2) get a job quickly after graduation and leave before the summer ends.</p>
<p>However it’d be pretty rare if EVERY member in an apartment just HAPPENED to all have these unexpected events. If they were, it’d probably be something they knew about before, so they probably would have fought to not have the lease during that time or already have a set plan (and set people).</p>
<p>Combine that with the fact that it is already kind of difficult to find an apartment that comfortably fits 4 people. You’re looking at a two bedroom (three max, usually), which fill quick around campus. Plus if its a legal sublet (as in, the landlord is okay with you subletting- not all are!), then you might not get approved for four people. I know when I was looking at it, we were rejected at a few places and had the rent hiked a LOT at others since the apartments were “designed” for two people only. If it’s an illegal sublet… well… then you have other issues to deal with. Also sublets tend to keep furniture there, since (except for summer sublets, which often are people moving out of the city) the idea is that the tenant will come back. So if you were lucky enough to find a two bedroom where both people are gone, but it’s furnished… You’ll have to work out with them if you’d be allowed to bring in twice the furniture that’s there.</p>
<p>Honestly, try with pairs. I wouldn’t spend much time on really focusing on a sublet for all four people. You’d be better off looking for Jan 1st rents (as in, not sublets) if you’re certain about four people, although there are way less apartments available at Jan 1st than at Sept 1st. Housing is a pretty crazy process in general, and it gets way worse when you’re trying to return to Boston from someplace else. Apartments and sublets could be long gone by the time the person on study abroad returns, or at least any within their price range. </p>
<p>Above all- if you have to, be selfish. I know it sounds terrible, but it’s true. If it’s mid-December and two girls refuse to live in anything within your price range (or if you refuse to live in theirs) and one demands to see a place but then never has time, or if you find that it’s impossible to get a 4 person place but no one else is admitting it, or whatever… Get an apartment, no matter what, and get it as soon as you can. It always sounds great to move off-campus with friends, but living by yourself in a studio sublet for four months is way better than wondering at Christmas where you’ll be living in a week. And trust me, I have had friends in that situation because they were too stubborn.</p>
<p>ive pm’ed you - was about to put up a thread about demand for sublets for the 2nd semester!</p>