Chicago Real Estate Guide

Finding a Summer Sublet in Chicago: Part One

• April 14, 2011

by Jacqueline Zenn

If you’re planning on living in Chicago for the summer and need a sublet or short-term rental, now is the time to start looking (if you haven’t already). While Craigslist will always remain a go-to resource for renters in major cities, the Windy City offers several additional options.

Oak Street Beach in Chicago

Domu.com is a solid resource for both short-term and long-term rentals. Since users can search by lease length and various other filters including price point, neighborhood, and whether or not the apartment allows pets, has a washer/dryer or air-conditioning, it is easy to find available options that meet your needs.

Some recent listings include a $950 one- bedroom furnished condo in Uptown and a one-bedroom unit located right on Michigan Avenue in the shopping district that rents for $1,375 a month. On the near north side, both the upper and lower flat are available for rent at a Victorian-style residence in Lincoln Park for $1,495 and $925, respectively.

4728 North Racine, #2E

Like Domu.com, HotPads.com also allows users to search by lease length. The site offers a wide variety of options, including this inexpensive $595 per month two bedroom in the North Center and, on the higher end, this two-bedroom, two-bath unit at Wabash and Huron that rents for $4,500. We also like this South Loop one-bedroom/den unit that rents for $1,350 per month.

Sublet in Chicago’s River North

“For short term rentals, we generally see more favorable markets in bigger cities, like Chicago, DC and New York,” HotPads spokesperson Paul Gleger told UrbanTurf. “As you might expect, these markets have a larger inventory of rentals and tend to have more flexibility in pricing. As a general rule, popular cities tend to have a rental premium during the summer months.” (Gleiger recommended that sublet-seekers should use the Hotspots visualizer tool to get an idea of the price points in various Chicago neighborhoods.) Domu.com’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing Andrena Rodgers echoed Gleiger, saying that “since this is peak rental season and landlords want to secure one-year lease terms, it’s harder to find short-term rentals right now.”

Look out for Part Two for more information on Chicago sublets, which will include information about corporate housing options.

This article originally published at http://chicago.urbanturf.com/articles/article/finding_a_summer_sublet_in_chicago_part_one/3317