(Sub) Let It Go! I rent out my room while I’m away on acting jobs

I’m currently in the Middle East acting in a comedy about car salesmanship.

I know nothing about cars – I describe a car by its colour!  But it will be an adventure to visit three brand new countries (she says, googling ‘what is Jordan like for the working woman’ / ‘what is the risk of piracy in Oman’ /‘can you get Netflix in the Middle East’).

It’s one of those jobs where, though you are well compensated, you are paid two months in arrears which would have left me without money to pay the rent for two months…But, as I won’t be in my flat, I am going to sub let – someone who needs a room gets mine and I get to leave my stuff in my ‘office’ and come back to live in my own flat once I finish the tour, none the poorer.

 Here are my top tips for a sub let:

• Speak to your flatmates about why you need to sub let, and check they are happy with it first – don’t just let a stranger walking in one day be the notice!
• If you know your landlord well, check with them too but if it is through an estate agent and they state no sub lets in your contract, keep it on the down low!
• Try to get someone you know, or a friend of a friend especially if it is a shorter sublet
• If it’s for a longer amount of time and you have time to spend interviewing people, use The Hustle on Facebook – a group full of creative types always looking for last minute temporary rooms
• Leave your room clean, tidy and as bare as possible for the new person, then hopefully they will leave it that way for you when you come back
• Ask for a set amount from the new person that includes the bills (estimate them if you have to) so they just have to make monthly or weekly payment
• Be prepared to be flexible with your dates – it could be the difference between someone taking your room or not
• Be fair – don’t pretend the rent is more than what it is! And if it’s only for a short amount of time, like two to four weeks, perhaps give a discount as an incentive 

The money for this blog will be donated to St Christopher’s Hospice. 

Pic: Pascal Volk