How SubKey works
SubKey is where UMD students find a room and the people in it. We don't hold your money, we don't sign your lease, and we aren't a party to your agreement. Here's the whole of it.
1. Find a place
Browse rooms posted by verified UMD students. Every listing shows what the rent actually is, when the term ends, and — where we know the building's policy — how a handover works there.
2. See who you'd live with
Listings can describe the roommates who are staying, and those roommates can join and speak for themselves. Where both sides have saved preferences, you get a compatibility score against the people you'd actually share the place with, not the person moving out.
3. Talk to them directly
Message the lister, any roommate co-listing with them, and any staying roommate who has joined. Ask what you want — the tour, the term, the utilities, who does the dishes.
4. Do the paperwork off SubKey
This is the part we don't run. How it works depends on the building, and it is worth knowing which one you're in before you agree to anything.
Two ways a room changes hands
Which one applies is set by the building, not by you or the person you're talking to. Listings show it when we know the policy.
Transfer / relet — most large College Park buildings
You sign a new lease with the property for the rest of the term and pay the property directly. The person leaving is released once it completes. Buildings usually charge them a fee to process it, and usually screen you first — so ask about income requirements and whether a guarantor can be waived before you count on it.
Sublease — smaller landlords and some houses
The original tenant stays on the lease and stays liable, and you pay them. Most leases require the landlord's written permission for this. Get the agreement in writing and confirm the landlord has signed off — an unapproved sublease can be broken by the landlord later.
Before you hand over money
- See the place, or at least a live video walkthrough of the actual room.
- Get the building's approval in writing before you pay a deposit — not after.
- Ask what the rent actually includes: utilities, parking, fees added at signing.
- Anyone pushing you to pay fast, off-platform, or by a method you can't reverse is a problem. Report them.
A .edu login means the account belongs to a real UMD student. It is not a guarantee about the room, the price, or the person's intentions.