How to Store Your Belongings While Subletting

By Kaitlin Hurtado on January 17, 2018

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Subletting your living space can be the perfect opportunity for saving money during overlapping leases or getting money back even when you’re away on vacation. Finding a sublet that is trustworthy enough to rent your space out may be tricky or negotiating a deal where every party is content may be even harder, but once the sublet agreement has been made, the pressure of having to pay rent when you aren’t even using the space is off your shoulders.

However, one of the more difficult aspects of subletting is figuring out what you are going to do with your belongings while you sublet. It might not be much of a big deal if you are subletting your space due to having another lease and a more permanent way to store your belongings, but if you’re just subletting while you are going on vacation for summer, you might not trust your sublet with all your belongings enough to keep them there. If you’re struggling to plan out what to do with your belongings, consider these ideas next time you sublet your space.

via Pixabay.com

Storage Unit 

Renting a storage unit may seem like the more obvious option, as it provides a way to safely secure your belongings for whatever duration of time you need while subletting. Depending on the type of unit you get, you can store all or at least most of your belongings in the unit while subletting your space, keeping your belongings out of harm’s way.

Another great perk of having a storage unit is having your stuff organized and out of your mind as you go on with your plans while subletting. If you were to keep your belongings in your apartment, you may come back to find them scuffed or out of place. Or if you considered bringing them along with you to wherever you are going during your sublet, you may find your space overcrowded with the excessive belongings and furniture.

If money is keeping you from committing to a storage unit, you can always lower the cost of renting a storage unit by splitting the cost between friends or your roommates. If your other roommates or housemates are also subletting, try asking them if they would be willing to split a storage unit with you so that both of you can save money while keeping all of your belongings safe for whenever you will need them next.

Store your belongings back home 

If your family allows you to and they have the space, store your belongings back home. You won’t have to pay the fee that you would have to if you were to rent out a separate storage unit (if your family is nice enough) and you don’t have to worry about it being stolen out of a storage unit or out of your apartment while subletting.

Having your belongings back home can even be more convenient than a storage unit, they will be more accessible to you if the reason you are subletting is because you are going back home for weeks or months. You don’t have to worry about digging through a storage unit when you realize you really need something, if you can just head to the garage or wherever you plan to store your belongings. By bringing your belongings home, you will also have time consider what items you really need and what you can afford to get rid of or even store back home until you actually need the item(s).

Keep them in your apartment while you sublet

Depending on your relation to the subtenant or how much you trust them with your belongings, you may want to consider leaving your belongings in your apartment while you sublet. Of course, this should be brought up right away with your subtenant, as they might expect an empty space and bring all of their belongings and find that they have no space due to the presence of your own belongings.

Leaving them in your apartment will spare you the trouble of packing all of your belongings up, figuring out where to safely store them, and transport them to and from wherever you are storing them. You can also use your belongings as a negotiation point, allow your subtenant to use your furniture and cookware to boast your sublet as “fully-furnished” and possibly hike up the price of your listing.

While all of these options have their ups and downs, the most important thing to consider is having your mind at ease knowing that your belongings are in good hands. If you feel most comfortable having your belongings locked away and untouched, feel free to splurge. If you feel like your subtenant is trustworthy enough, feel free to leave your belongings in your apartment as is so long as it makes you comfortable.

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