Own big room in shared small house, nice yard, cats, 6 blocks from campus (Sublet / Shared Housing)

This room for sublet, for the academic year from July 1 (or no later than August 1) '25 through May '26, is the living room of a small house, set up for use as a bedroom and study, about 220 square feet. It has a queen sofabed (can be folded up while... made), large desk with office chair, thick rug, lots of bookshelves, and some closet and chest of drawers space. There are 1Gb/sec fiber optic with wi-fi and an Ethernet cable, a B&W laser all-in-one printer with wi-fi on the desk, a color inkjet all-in-one in my bedroom office via wi-fi, a hi-fi radio, and an LCD monitor, external keyboard and computer speakers to plug into your laptop. 3 windows and a windowed door with curtains and venetian blinds allow your choice of light and airy or full privacy. There are your own outside entrance with its own porch, and a closable door to the kitchen for full privacy. The only furnace is in this room, so it's the warmest in winter. (On cold days when you don't need the privacy or are out, I do ask you to leave the door to the kitchen open to heat the rest of the house, and the blinds open to afternoon sun on sunny cold days.) There's also a HEPA-quality air filter (good vs our near-annual wildfire smoke and viruses) in every room, and in warm months a portable A/C unit.

I have 2 adorable indoor/outdoor cats, so you must at least really like if not love cats and not be allergic to them. You won't be asked to feed or clean up for them except when I take 15 days off in Bulgaria, August 4 through 18. If you do take good care of them then, you get half off the August rent. (If you don't feel like doing that, I'll pay a neighbor.) Sorry, there isn't enough territory for another cat or a dog.

The location is on a quiet block in central Berkeley, 5 blocks west of and a 12-minute walk to downtown BART, 5 minutes to Trader Joe's, 14 minutes to the west edge of UC campus, and 24 minutes or a short bike ride to its center. Every kind of necessary store is in walking distance, as is all of downtown Berkeley. The neighbors are nice and helpful.
The shared kitchen has a gas stove and oven, fridge (half yours), microwave, toaster, electric kettle, countertop dishwasher, large table with 2-3 chairs, and optionally a filter coffee machine and water carbonator. There's a 32" HDTV on the kitchen table with all local broadcast channels, Roku, Netflix, Amazon Prime, a Blu-ray player (also handles DVDs and CDs) and excellent speakers, but no cable or satellite. Also a 6-octave semi-pro electronic music keyboard you're welcome to use. Practicing your musical instrument or singing is welcome. Meals may be shared sometimes or not at all, depending on mutual schedules and preferences. I don't eat meat, but don't object to others cooking and eating it. I do eat fish, dairy and cheese. The shared bathroom is off the kitchen. There are a washer and gas dryer in the entry, and clothes racks in the side yard.

There's a small green side yard with a patio table, umbrella, chairs and lawn swing. There's a bigger back yard behind the neighbors' houses with a beautiful garden, large canopy, long table, and another cat (who'll also need to be fed). You're welcome to use both yards; my wi-fi reaches only the side yard.

I'm a quiet, responsible and musical 75-year-old separated man, not retired but between jobs over the summer. I get COVID shots twice a year, so I don't need to mask indoors with a vaccinated UC student. The room may or may not be available over next summer (June and July), so plan to move out on the day of your choice in May '26. By mutual agreement, you *may* be able to lease the room again for the 2026-27 academic year.

The lease for a below-average $975/mo covers your half of the rent and includes trash, recycling, and the fiber-optic line. Your half of other utilities--electricity, gas, and water--is extra, depends on how much we use (to encourage conservation), and averages around $225/mo (more in winter, less in summer). The only additional cost would be a little for shared household expenses, like paper and cleaning products, and if you like, some food. Move-in (any time July 1-August 1, early July preferred) requires a prompt $975 deposit to hold it, and $975 (or pro-rated by number of days) on move-in for the 1st month's rent. I'll want to interview you via Skype, Zoom or in person before deciding on the most suitable tenant, and there will be a sublease through May to sign. The previous tenants have been a female American grad student, a male Brazilian grad student, a 20-something American male programmer, a male Japanese undergrad, a male Czech physics postdoc, a male Indian grad student, a male Vietnamese student finishing his PhD, and a male Chinese undergrad, but females are welcome too. (I already have a younger girlfriend.)

In your response, please tell me something about yourself and why you want to sublease this room. I'm much easier to reach by e-mail than phone. Read More