There are many reasons Rambler Columbus residents look to relet their apartment, whether it be study abroad programs, summer internships and co-op opportunities in other cities, or even just the comfort of spending a summer at home.
Read Next: 7 Tips for Subletting (or Reletting)
At Rambler, our leasing team has helped hundreds of students through the reletting process. The reletting process doesn’t have to be hard, time consuming or frustrating if you know the steps. While all Rambler residents sign a 12-month lease, we allow you to relet your space if needed.
To help simplify this process, we will break down the reletting process at Rambler, including the steps you need to take and fees you and your reletter will have to pay.
6 Steps to Relet Your Apartment at Rambler
Representative rendering of bedrooms at Rambler Columbus.
1. Find a reletter
Rambler residents looking to relet are responsible for finding an individual to take over their spot in their unit.
Read Next: How to Find a College Roommate at Ohio State
The most reliable way to secure a reletter who will fulfill their obligations and mix well with your roommates is by considering people you already know.
Reach out to friends, Greek life group chats, or fellow club members. With many Ohio State students seeking summer housing in Columbus for classes, research or internships, starting your search early increases the likelihood of finding individuals in need of reletting.
Finding a reletter can be a lot like finding a roommate, so check out our guide to finding a roommate in Columbus for more tips.
2. Notify management
Any individual interested in reletting your apartment at Rambler must complete the leasing process, which includes filling out an application and signing a lease.
The easiest way for you to initiate this process is by emailing management and cc’ing your potential reletter on the email. Then, your potential reletter can respond, confirming their intent to take over your unit. We recommend this method as it ensures the right monthly rental rate is communicated and added to the leasing documents.
Read Next: How to Sign an Apartment Lease: Step-by-Step Guide for OSU Students
3. Reletter application and lease
Your reletter will be required to fill out the Rambler application, which will take 15 to 30 minutes to complete. Your reletter should expect to provide basic information including:
- Driver’s License
- Emergency Contact
- Pet Information (if interested in bringing a pet)
- Current Residence
As part of the application process, your reletter must pass a background check and credit screening.
During the lease signing process, the reletter must provide a valid guarantor or qualify as a self-guarantor. For more information regarding what a guarantor is and why you need one, check out our article on what’s a guarantor.
The reletter will have to pay an administrative fee, application fee, and security deposit. Visit our FAQ page to learn more about the current cost of all fees.
If the reletter fails to complete any of the steps above, they will be unable to relet your apartment at Rambler.
For more information about the student housing application and leasing process, read our article on finding the perfect student apartment near Ohio State.
4. Pay your reletting fees
Once your reletter has completed their application and completed their screening, you will be responsible for a reletting fee. If a resident finds someone to take over their unit, they are only responsible for a $350 reletting fee. If our team finds the replacement, the reletting fee will be equal to one month’s rent installment. A relet fee covers the cost of cleaning the space and returning it to its original condition, as well as administrative fees.
This fee must be paid prior before we can send you a relet agreement.
5. Relet agreement
Once the steps above are complete, both you and your reletter will be required to complete a relet agreement, where additional information regarding specific terms of the relet will be laid out.
If either party fails to complete this agreement, the relet will not be approved and you will continue to be responsible for the full-term of your lease.
6. Finalize the details
Once the reletter has been approved and the time to relet has come, you will need to return any keys or access devices to our leasing staff upon move-out. The leasing staff will provide new keys and access devices to your reletter.
If you fail to return any keys or access devices, you will be charged a $100 fee for key fob replacement, $100 for a parking sticker replacement, and $25 for a bedroom or mailbox key replacement.
Once you complete the steps listed above, you will be completely released from the obligations under your lease. These obligations will now be solely on your reletter.
What if I want to take the original lease back?
If you temporarily relet your unit to another person, such as while studying abroad, and plan to return to take over the lease again, only one relet fee will be charged. The unit will be handed over in its existing condition at each transition between residents.
There are a few common scenarios where this may happen:
- You relet your unit for the fall semester while you’re abroad but plan to move back in for the spring.
- You study abroad during the spring semester and want to return for the summer.
- You relet your unit just for the summer but have already renewed your lease, so you’ll move back in for the fall.
When you return, you will be required to submit a new application and sign a new lease. Your guarantor will also need to complete the application and screening process again. However, you will not be required to pay any additional signing fees.
Key, parking pass, and mailbox key transfers will be managed through the leasing office.
If you’re planning on reletting your apartment, be sure to follow all of these steps to ensure your relet process goes smoothly.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about Rambler, please reach out to our leasing staff! We are more than happy to help in your search for housing!
