1. Understand what Marketplace does and doesn't do
Marketplace connects you with someone. It does not verify who they are, hold anyone to the terms you discussed, or keep any record of what you agreed. The moment you move to "let's do it," you have left the part Facebook handles and entered the part that is entirely on the two of you. Treat the match as the start, not the finish.
2. Verify the person before money or keys move
- Look at the real profile: age of the account, mutual friends, whether it looks like a lived-in profile or one made last week.
- Get on a quick video call. A real student subletting a real place will do this without drama; someone dodging it is telling you something.
- For a subletter, confirm they are actually a student in your town with a reason to be there. For a lister, confirm they actually control the apartment.
- Slow down anyone who is rushing you. Urgency and "send a deposit now to hold it" are the oldest pressure tactics there are.
3. Say the real terms out loud, then write them down
Rent amount, exact start and end dates, deposit, utilities, guests, parking, and what happens to your stuff. Agreeing to these in a chat thread is better than nothing and worse than an agreement, because six weeks later the thread is buried and each of you remembers it differently. Put the terms into a real sublease agreement that both of you sign.
4. Get your landlord's consent in writing first
Almost every student lease requires the landlord's written approval to sublet, and some ban it outright. Read your lease and email the leasing office before you promise anyone the place. Skipping this is how a subletter gets locked out mid-semester, and how you end up on the hook for it.
5. Document the place at handoff
Take timestamped photos of every room, appliance, and existing scuff at move-in, and make sure both sides can see them. This is the cheapest insurance that exists and it settles the deposit conversation before it can turn into a fight. Hand over keys only after the agreement is signed and the photos are saved.