# Lease vs. Life

By [Brandon Donnelly](https://brandondonnelly.com) · 2017-06-29

flip, leases, leasing, real-estate, startup, sublet, subletting, tech, uncategorized

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When I was in graduate school in the U.S., I remember it being a pain having to always sign a 1 year lease. I only wanted 8 months so that I could take off during the summers. Too bad [Flip](https://flip.lease/) wasn’t around back then.

[Flip](https://flip.lease/) is a startup that I just discovered, which is positioning itself as the “easiest way to sublet or get out of your lease.” It’s all about reconciling the conflict between [lease and life](https://www.usv.com/blog/flip), which don’t always match up.

The platform is free to listers. So you don’t get charged to post a lease or to flip a lease. Renters get charged a service fee equal to 5% of one month’s rent.

It’s interesting to think about the surge in short-term rentals and platforms such as Flip that are effectively helping to reduce lease terms by way of streamlining the “flipping” process. 

Are millennials ushering in a new era of mobility and transience?

One feature that I think is neat and that I would like to point out is “[Bounties](https://flip.lease/bounties).” The platform allows listers to attach a bounty ($) to any listing. Users are then able to grab a unique URL that can be shared around online. If someone takes over a lease via one of your links, you get paid the bounty. Smart.

In case you’re curious – I certainly was – here’s a [ranking of all 50 U.S. states according to how friendly they are to subletters](https://blog.flip.lease/how-to-sublet-legally-in-all-50-states-c8e204f49bee). It also summarizes how to legally sublet. On the friendly side is New York and on the less friendly side is Wyoming.

_Photo by_ [_Dan Gold_](http://unsplash.com/photos/sQ3ZqZORrlQ?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) _on_ [_Unsplash_](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)

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*Originally published on [Brandon Donnelly](https://brandondonnelly.com/lease-vs-life)*