Guides
Plain guides to subletting in Ann Arbor, written for Michigan students: leases, deposits, scams, roommates and timing.
Live data
Median asking rents by bedroom count and neighborhood, worked out from the active listings on Wroomly, not last year’s survey.
See the numbersWhere to live
Pick North Campus housing by how you will get to class or lab first, then by lease length. A decision table, the campus bus facts and what to check before you sign.
7 min readRead
Roommates and leases
Your roommates will live with whoever takes your room. Here is the order that works: lease and landlord first, roommates second, a fair pick, and a written checklist before move in.
6 min readRead
Safety and money
Rent is the one line you can price today. Start from live median asking rents, then fill in utilities, food, transport and the costs students forget, each with a source.
5 min readRead
Timing
A fall only sublet in Ann Arbor is possible but rare. Here is who lists a September to December place, when it appears, and the fallbacks if none fits.
5 min readRead
Safety and money
Pay last, and pay in a way that leaves a record tied to a real person and a signed sublease. Here is what to confirm first and how each payment method compares.
6 min readRead
Roommates and leases
Where Ann Arbor students find roommates, the questions that decide whether you can live together, and the order to check, agree and sign in.
6 min readRead
Roommates and leases
The lease type decides who is on the hook when a roommate stops paying or leaves. Here is how the two compare in four real situations, and what to confirm before you sign.
6 min readRead
Roommates and leases
Fill in the blanks together: the money, the house rules and the exit plan every off campus household needs, kept next to your lease.
5 min readRead
Roommates and leases
An equal split rarely feels fair when one bedroom is huge and another is a closet. Split the rent in two layers, check it, and write it down.
6 min readRead
Timing
A semester abroad is a fixed gap with a known return date. Here is the checklist for subletting your Ann Arbor place, from the lease check to the key handover.
7 min readRead
Where to live
A UMich week runs on buses, feet and bikes more often than you would guess. Answer five questions about your own week to land on no car, an occasional car share, or owning one.
7 min readRead
Where to live
Every place Ann Arbor sublets get posted, what each one tells you about the person on the other end, and which to use for a summer, fall or winter search.
6 min readRead
Subletting
The city keeps a public record of every legal rental in Ann Arbor. Most students never check it. Here is how — and exactly what it does and doesn’t prove.
6 min readRead
Roommates and leases
Sublet, sublease, relet, lease takeover, assignment. People use them interchangeably; they mean legally different things. Here is who's on the lease, who holds the risk, and which to pick.
6 min readRead
Where to live
Eleven neighborhoods, one honest comparison: where to live based on your program, budget, and how much quiet you actually want.
7 min readRead
Timing
Ann Arbor leases sign absurdly early. The month-by-month calendar, and what to do if you've already missed the wave.
5 min readRead
Subletting
Signing a lease from another continent, sight-unseen, in a market you've never set foot in. Here's how to do it without getting burned.
6 min readRead
Subletting
You want quiet, a reasonable commute to your lab, and neighbors who sleep at night. The grad-student map of Ann Arbor.
5 min readRead
Timing
Everyone writes about summer. But December graduations and spring study-abroad create a real January market. Here's how it works.
4 min readRead
Safety and money
The math nobody does: every month your room sits empty costs more than the discount that would have filled it.
5 min readRead
Subletting
The unglamorous 90 minutes of move-in day that saves your deposit, your Wi-Fi, and your relationship with your roommates.
5 min readRead
Subletting
Leaving for the summer, a co-op, or study abroad? Here's how to sublet your Ann Arbor place without losing money or breaking your lease.
6 min readRead
Timing
When to start looking, what summer rent really costs, and the neighborhoods worth targeting for a May–August sublet.
5 min readRead
Safety and money
Wired a deposit and never heard back? Here are the scam patterns that hit Ann Arbor students every year, and how to dodge them.
5 min readRead
Safety and money
How much is normal, what Michigan law says, and the move-in photos that get your deposit back without a fight.
5 min readRead
Wroomly is for University of Michigan students. Students who sign in with their UMich Google account are verified and carry a blue check on their profile and their listings, so you can tell at a glance who is a confirmed U of M student rather than an anonymous account.
Students who verify with their UMich Google login carry a blue check, so you can see which listings and inquiries come from confirmed University of Michigan students. From there, Wroomly pushes both sides toward the safe path: see the place live, put the agreement in writing, and never pay by wire, gift card, or crypto.
Wroomly is free. Listing your place is free, browsing is free, and there are no service fees or monthly charges. Rent and any deposit are arranged directly between you and the other student.
No. Wroomly connects verified U of M students and you arrange rent and any deposit directly with the other person. Use a traceable payment method, get the terms in writing before money moves, and never pay by wire, gift card, or crypto.
Document the place with timestamped photos when you move in and again when you move out, and get the deposit terms in writing before you pay. Under Michigan law, a deposit must be returned (or an itemized list of damages sent) within 30 days of the lease ending.
Most Ann Arbor leases allow subletting but require written landlord approval, and some charge a small fee. Always check your lease and get approval in writing before you sublet your place.