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A member of a cleanup crew is seen through disheveled blinds at a residence in Ann Arbor.

(Ann Arbor News File Photo)

University students, welcome back from spring break. I hope you had a great time wherever you might have traveled; it is now time to buckle down to the books, in preparation for finals at the end of April. Students, what are your summer plans? Were you considering subletting your apartment or room in Ann Arbor for the summer? I would recommend not doing that.

Summer subletting of apartments in Ann Arbor has been a tradition since yearlong leases were the norm for student housing. Students who are done with school at the end of April, tend to move back home for their summer jobs and to reacquaint with their old high school friends, especially in their first several years of college. Since they will not be occupying their room or apartment, many rent their off-campus housing unit to a friend, acquaintance or someone who is looking for housing in Ann Arbor over the summer at a bargain price.

My first fledgling moments out of the safety and sanctuary of my parent’s home were spent in a summer sublet room, with my best friend, at the Phi Delta Theta house on Washtenaw at South University. My pal’s older sister who was attending the University of Michigan had set it up for us and I think the rent was about $60 a month.

Since the statute of limitations are up I can admit that it was us who were chipping golf balls off a couch cushion from the roof of the portico into the Mud Bowl in that late 70s summer. I am betting however we were not the first or last to engage in such an alcohol induced, judgment impaired act of stupidity—in fact having policed a Big Ten College town for the better part of 27 years, I will guarantee it.

The fact of the matter is that summer subletters are, by in large, in it for the party. Their name is really not on the lease and thus they do not pay as strict attention to keeping things pristine, as the person who occupies the dwelling nine months out of the year.

Subletters seldom have to answer to a landlord or angry parents, who have rented for a student. Instead they just pack their stuff at the end of the summer, or a little before depending on how much they have trashed their summer quarters, and move out. If they had a damage deposit, many leave it for all the beer soaked into the carpets and furniture and take with them a summer of fond carefree—literally because they really do not care-- memories.

Not all subletters do that, but my point is that if subletting, use extreme caution who you sublet to. If at all possible do not sublet your room or apartment. Read your contract, many leases actually forbid it.

If you must sublet, make sure it is to a good friend and the nerdier the friend the better. Sublet only to the biggest bookworm you know who has an incredibly loaded class schedule for the shortened spring and summer terms, who must also work a part-time job to pay the rent.

If you cannot find such a dedicated young adult, again I would not recommend subletting your place. If you still must sublet, avoid subletting to anyone nicknamed “Snake,” “LuLu,” “Mad Dog”—or—persons sporting tattoos or t-shirts with slogans proclaiming “Party ‘til You Puke” or any other similar expression or symbols indicating a proclivity toward unruly and unsanitary behavior while celebrating.

The other problem with summer subletting is your property is not under your control and thus unsupervised for three months. Therefore at the end of April, move anything of value or anything you would not want to see stolen or broken, back home with you.

Do not trust basement storage facilities encircled by chickenwire and locked with a cheap padlock or storage rooms equipped with only a weak privacy lock. Property of value that you place in such storage areas may not be there in the fall.

This phenomenon may not even be attributable to your subletter, but to a “friend of a friend” who was at your place during a party. The thief could also be a member of a small subset of thieves that prey on students living in off-campus housing.

Some of the local thieves in Ann Arbor remind me of evolutionally evolved species of scavengers and predators that rely on migratory animals to survive. Students bring to Ann Arbor many valuable, state-of-the-art electronics and other expensive items and a care-free laissez-faire attitude about securing such items. Many students in the hustle and bustle of the school year, leave valuables unattended, locks unlocked and possess a naivety that make them perfect prey for local thieves who steal to survive.

While students are out of town in the summer, and their housing areas are less populated, the thieves who would normally steal laptops, wallets, purses, backpacks and iPhones left on coffee shop tables unattended, move inside and loot storage areas.

Students preparing for summer, should factor in the logistics necessary to take all the things they care about home for the summer. It will save them and their parents grief, money and even more precious, time, next fall when they move back in.

If students decided to sublet, they should factor in additional time before school starts to clean up the mess and replace anything of value that may have been stolen or damaged over the summer.

Students deciding to stay in Ann Arbor over the summer, should allow themselves some time to just enjoy this great city and the festivals, art fairs and fun a young adult can have in a university town. College years are a magical bridge between childhood and the realities of adulthood and the real world—students should cherish that short time.

Students, please remember to take it home this summer, or lock it up, don't leave it unattended, be aware and watch out for your neighbors.

Rich Kinsey is a retired Ann Arbor police detective sergeant who now writes his "Semper Cop" column about crime and safety for The Ann Arbor News.