MyNewPlace Blog

So rather recently, it came to my attention that one of my dear friends and roommates would be moving out of our lovely 4 bedroom apartment and into a lovely studio apartment. The three remaining roommates were sad to see her go, but also needed to prepare for the transition.

These tasks included:

• Finding a new roommate
• Figuring out what to do with everything in the apartment (furniture, electronics, kitchenware)
• Determining how to deal with the security deposit
• Finding out from the landlord how your lease will change

(photo courtesy of Mia Mabanta)

There are usually not as many legal or official actions with which to deal when only one roommate is leaving, as the lease remains intact, but it is best to plan ahead to make sure that your roommate can move out smoothly and you can avoid paying extra rent for an open room.

Finding a new roommate can sometimes be difficult, but many people, especially now, are looking to rent a room to save on rent as well as divides utility costs among a great amount of people. Sharing water, electricity, cable and internet costs is quite an attractive prospect.

The first thing to do, which can usually be pretty tricky, is figuring out when your roommate will be moving out; usually someone will end up having to pay two rents for at least a week or so, but cutting this down with open communications about plans can keep this unwanted cost from getting too ridiculous.

For example, your roommate will probably let you know that they are looking for an apartment before they actually sign a new lease. This is helpful so you can begin looking around for roommates amongst friends and acquaintances. Usually the best way is to send out a mass email to friends advertising that there will be a room opening up at the apartment and to pass it along to anyone who may be interested.

This can work out well because your acquaintance with the potential roommates can replace the awkward, getting to know someone's personality questions that roommate interviewees are subjected to. As if a brief overview of entertainment options can really tell you about how someone will be as a roommate.

Figuring out what to do with all those things in the apartment can be tricky. In our case, our departing roommate is the owner of all the furniture and a large portion of the kitchenware.

So, what is the best case scenario here? The furnishings of a 4 bedroom apartment won't fit into a studio apartment and the 4 bedroom apartment needs a couch. Selling the couch to the remaining roommates will cut down on moving expenses and hassles.

Kitchenware is another story; there are so many things that you need to get for your kitchen when you first move in, that the thought of buying them all over again is less desirable than retaking the SATs.

Figuring out the charges for the security deposit is a bit tricky and we'll have to get back to everyone on that. That seems like the stickiest of situations and a final answer on who owes for what damages is most likely postponed until the lease expires.

It is important to contact your landlord to let them know that you will be leaving and someone else will be taking your spot, whether or not ‘the who' has been determined yet. The landlord may want to take an active role in selecting the new tenant, or may leave the process up to you.

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