As I have grown during my years here at Penn, my belief in the need for a centralized subletting platform has increased. Countless friends have attempted to find summer housing, but they have ended up frustrated at the high prices and living conditions, the need to rely upon older friends to secure good locations, and the quickened timeline to schedule showings and come to an agreement. There exist University resources, but they are not adequate. And given that there will always be more places to sublet than subletters, the supply and interest for such a platform will be there. This is where the opportunity arises. It is only a matter of bringing the prospective subletters to a centralized platform.
There exists information asymmetry between the subletters and the original renters. Especially since the subletters tend to be first- or second-years and looking at off-campus housing for the first time, they may not have a complete understanding of the rental prices, the option to negotiate, the consideration of utilities like electricity, water, gas, and wifi. This is inherently an unfair dynamic as upperclassmen can take advantage of the unsuspecting underclassmen.
This subletting platform would contain as much information to tackle this lopsided dynamic. By including information such as the negotiable range, number of people interested, and past reviews, subletters have access to a more democratized search process.
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