I'm a 25 y/o female grad student living in an old condo paying $485/month, but my roommate is graduating and moving out at the end of May. I figured it would be easy finding another student to take her place (since it was easy for her), so I decided to stay and let the 60-day lease termination notification deadline pass.
I've been advertising the place on several websites however (both non-institutional and official institutional ones) and have messaged several incoming students in my department for the past month, but I haven't found anyone seriously interested in the year-long lease (aside from single 30-something year old males, who I don't feel comfortable rooming with).
I suspect the timing of our lease is awkward, because it starts in July, but most of the students in the area want to move in or don't start thinking about housing until August. Because I missed the window, the lease automatically renews and I'll be on the hook for $970/mo (whether I move out or not) starting July until a roommate is found. With my humble grad student stipend, I can't afford that.
I have another month or so before it's crunch time, but another complication is I'm going to be out of the country doing research for the entirety of June, so I can't show the condo to people during that time. I have taken a lot of pictures and want to make a MTVcribs type video I can just send in place of a showing, but I'm afraid that not being able to show the place in person is going to deter people.
Are there any other methods I should consider to find a roommate? Is there anything I can do to protect myself from taking this financial hit?
Submitted May 12, 2018 at 10:42AM by dattonkatsudoe https://ift.tt/2IeoIaJ
