how to sublet 5 bedroom brownstone
We live in a 5 bedroom triplex in Carroll Gardens. We are going away for the summer 2009 and need some advice on renting our house for 2 months. The house is newly renovated and in great condition; new kitchen, 2&1/2 new baths, 3 zone central air, garage space, etc. Although it would be great…
We live in a 5 bedroom triplex in Carroll Gardens. We are going away for the summer 2009 and need some advice on renting our house for 2 months. The house is newly renovated and in great condition; new kitchen, 2&1/2 new baths, 3 zone central air, garage space, etc. Although it would be great to get the income, we only want to rent if we feel like our house will not be destroyed. we would like a family and don’t want 11 college kids sharing. Any advice on where to advertise, (aside from craigslist)and how much to charge.
I’ve also had great luck with HomeAway.com — our short-term renters have been quiet, responsible, paid in advance and also gave us a security deposit. Great experience.
Thanks Lisa E. I think I’ll try nyhabitat.
This is all pretty simple.. there are several agencies that will book this for you: citihabitats was mentioned.. and I recommend nyhabitat with enthusiasm. I have used them for 10+ yrs for my place in Murray Hill. They have a Paris sister office, so you could very easily have your French family in place…
That first comment from “fenfen” was just alarming! Way off the mark in my opinion.. “unsavory?” Good grief. I have had some amazing subletters and some had only been around for a few weeks.
I just do not think the fears mentioned above are as viable as you might think.
Working with an agency takes a lot of security risk away, and with NYHabitat, they charge a fee to the party renting. They will help you set the proper market value – for ex., you may offer a very good mrket price with the caveat that you want only older people, no kids, etc – the agency will pass this on to the renter explaining why they qualified for such a reasonable rate (a peace of mind discount).
You may want to use sublet.com as well – another great source for my friends and I, but then you do your own screening.
Good Luck!
Hmmm… I was thinking about doing the same, but have decided not to, that the potential damage to the apt. wouldn’t be worth it. I would avoid Craigslist since its reach is too wide and send an email to try to find friends of friends. Pricing is tricky since the Euro and Pound will probably still be ahead of the dollar, but Europeans generally earn less money than Americans. You could also work with a broker like Citi Habitats, who will price competitively and help protect you from liability, but they will obviously take a cut.
i understand the fear of students, but the right students could be a great fit. i’m thinking of law school or business school summer associates, who tend to be a somewhat older and more subdued group. the timing would be perfect, and the students generally would have money to spend and reputations to protect. i also tend to think there would be some self-selection here — rowdy partiers are more likely to choose to live somewhere other than a house in carroll gardens.
Thanks for all of the posts. 20 feet wide and I am unsure of the color. I am aware of the potential problems; I have been a landlord for 15 years. We will only rent if it is an ideal situation. I was really posting to see if someone had an idea about how to find that nice family of 4 from Paris/San Francisco and how much I should charge.
I agree with Boerumresident. Older tenants = key.
Now gimme that width.
I think it will be tricky to find a a group large enough to sublet that place with whom you will feel comfortable as you don’t want the typical summer subletters (aka college or grad students in NY for summer jobs).
I think if you find anyone with whom you feel comfortable, you should consider adjusting the cost to whatever would be appropriate for the renter in Q — e.g., my now retired parents vistied last summer for one month to visit grandkids and sublet a 1 BR apartment. I am sure there are similarly situated grandparents, etc., in a neighborhood with as many children as are in CG.
Consider only high end guests/tourists (be creative in your screening). Sell the historic Brooklyn experience (like Trestevere in Rome). Have a very elaborate agreement with a deposit in the amount of a fairly conservative repair/replacement estimate.
I’m liking that stairway. What’s your building width, 20′?