Summer Housing for Interns
Landing an internship for the summer is a wonderful resume booster, and in today’s job market, is practically required if you want to get a job in your field right when you graduate. Simply having a degree is no longer enough; students are now required to have about five years experience on top of the degree, and some of those hours look even better if they are volunteer or internship hours.
Of course, getting a summer internship comes with a few complications, especially when you are trying to hunt for summer housing. To help take some of that stress off of you, here are some helpful tips to consider when looking for a place to stay in while you build your resume with that golden ticket of an internship.
Ask around
First, you want to try looking locally, so why not ask your friends and classmates if they know of a place that is being sublet just for the summer? Many students go back home when school is out of session, so if you, a sublessee, come and approach them, you just saved them a lot of time because they won’t have to go looking for someone to sublet their place. It can also work in your favor if you know the person, since then they might keep the price lower for you, and it’s also less awkward staying in the room of someone that you know.
If you’ve been asking around and can’t seem to find anyone that is subletting, which would honestly surprise me since so many students sublet their places for summer, then try some online sites out (like Uloop!) and see if you find anything that matches what you need. I’ve used Trulia.com a few times myself and have been able to find some pretty good matches! You can easily search by time parameters, price range, and location to find a good fit.
Find the sweet spot
With summer housing, you can’t start looking too early, since not a lot will be posted, and you can’t look too late since all the decently priced places will have been snatched up. You need to start looking when there are a few weeks of school left because that is when students who are currently leasing a place decide if they will be staying for the summer or if they will need to sublet.
When you are actively contacting people, make sure to check your email more than usual in case a potential subletter responds. Summer housing is a cutthroat market, so if someone else is interested in the place and responds faster than you, they will be the one to get it.
Get a second opinion
When you have found a few places that you are interested in, make sure that you go see each of them and compare what they come with for the price. You don’t want to get there and find that all the furniture is gone, or that you are sharing a room when you originally weren’t supposed to.
When you go for the walk-throughs, make sure to take a friend with you to get a second opinion as well. This is important especially if you are seeing all the places in one day since they tend to blend together. This is where taking photographs is handy as well.
Get it in writing
Do not sublet from someone unless you have an actual contract to sign. Even if you are pressed for time because your internship is about to start, you don’t want to rush into something that ends up falling through since it wasn’t legitimate. Make sure that the landlord is either present when you sign or has signed the document previously, so you know that you are legally allowed to be subleasing the place and won’t be kicked out while you aren’t home.
Don’t overpay
Your subletter can charge you what they want; however, they can’t charge you more than the rent they pay in their own rental agreement, so make sure that you are not being overcharged for your summer housing. If you want to make sure you aren’t being scammed, make sure to ask the landlord directly what the actual tenants pay when it comes to rent.
Be close to your internship
Internships are going to put you right to work, meaning you are in for long hours, so the last thing you want to do after getting off of a crazy shift is to trek a long way back to your summer housing. Sometimes it’s worth it to pay slightly more if it means the place is closer. If it’s close enough for you to walk or bike, you can save on gas and won’t have to worry about parking.
Some people sacrifice location when they are in a bind and then regret it later. Sure, you will only be there for a month or two, but trekking far can get old really fast, especially when your boss keeps asking you to pick up extra shifts or has you stay later than assigned.
These are just a few things to keep in mind as you look for a place to stay during your summer internship. It can be a bit stressful, but having that internship on your resume will be so worth it!!