Handoff
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The student sublease market, finally not sketchy.

A .edu-verified, map-first sublease marketplace built for college students. Find summer housing, transfer your lease, and never DM a stranger on Facebook again.

Browse listingsVerify with your .edu
162 students verified this semester
  • .edu only
  • No middlemen
  • Free, forever
handofflease.vercel.app/browse
Search USC subleases
May 6 – Aug 6$500–$3000
21 listings

Sunny 1BR · Trousdale

$1,800/mo
20% below

Penthouse · Stoa

$2,250/mo
10% below

ADU · West Adams

$1,600/mo
USC
$1,800$1,600$2,250$2,950$1,950
4

Built for the campuses you care about

USCUCLALMUPepperdineChapmanCSULACSULBCPPUSCUCLALMUPepperdineChapmanCSULACSULBCPP

Why we built it

Student housing is broken. The numbers prove it.

81%

of students struggle to find safe sublease options on existing platforms

59%

report negative experiences on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist

$65M

lost to rental scams in 2024 — 18-29-year-olds 3× more likely to be hit

88%

rank .edu identity verification as the single most important feature

Internal Handoff survey · USC undergraduates · Spring 2026 · FTC Consumer Sentinel

What makes Handoff different

Built for the way subleases actually happen.

Generic marketplaces treat student housing like every other listing. Handoff treats it like a handoff between people you can trust.

you@usc.edu

.edu-verified students only

Every account is gated by a non-bypassable check on a real college email — no bots, no scammers posing as students, just classmates.

$1,800
$2,250
$2,950

Map-first discovery

See every sublease as a price pin on your campus map. Walking-distance rings. DPS patrol zones. Filters that actually fit student life.

APSubleaser
HANDOFF
MJRenter

Consent-based contact

Your email stays private until both sides accept the handoff. No cold DMs, no premature exposure — just structured, mutual introductions.

How it works

Three steps. Zero sketchy DMs.

The whole flow is built so nothing — not your contact info, not your time — gets exposed before both sides commit.

  1. summer 1-bedroom
    May–Aug< $2k
    01Find

    Browse the campus map

    Filter by season, price, bedrooms, amenities. Surface places that actually fit — not whatever the algorithm decides.

  2. APAva PatelPENDING
    “Hi! Interested in your place for the summer — I'm a clean, quiet Junior in CS.”
    02Request

    Send a handoff request

    Send a short note. Your email and phone stay locked. The lister sees your verified school + display name.

  3. Contact unlocked
    ava.p@usc.edu
    @avapatel
    03Handoff

    Meet up. Swap leases.

    Both sides accept → contact info reveals. Meet IRL, sign the sublease, move in. We never touch the money.

Handoff vs the alternatives

Stop subleasing in the wild west.

Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist weren't built for college subleases. We were.

FeatureHandoffFB MarketplaceCraigslist
Verified .edu identity
Map-first discovery near campus
Walking-distance + DPS overlays
Contact info hidden until both accept
Handoff requests with structured replies
Free for students, no transaction fees
Zero scammers, bots, or random landlords

Comparison reflects free-tier features as of Spring 2026. We have nothing against general marketplaces — they're just not built for this.

Students who used it

From the people who actually had to find a place.

Found my summer sublet in 2 days. The .edu verification was the whole reason I trusted any of it. I knew I was talking to actual students.
SR

Sarah R.

USC · Class of '27

I was paying $400 more a month at my old place. Subleased through Handoff in a week and the whole thing felt safer than every Facebook group I tried.
MC

Marcus C.

USC · Class of '26

Listed my apartment, had 5 verified students request a handoff in the first week. None of the random spam I&apos;d get on Craigslist.
EJ

Emily J.

USC · Class of '28

Frequently asked

Everything you're wondering.

We've heard it all. Here are the answers students ask most.

  • Every account is gated by a real .edu email address. We send a one-time verification link to the email you sign up with — only verified college students can list, request, or message on the platform. We also cross-check school metadata so a Northwestern .edu can't pose as a USC student.

  • Yes — completely free for students, no transaction fees, no subscription. Money never moves through Handoff. You and your subleaser handle the lease and deposit directly, like you would with a friend.

  • Three things. First, .edu verification — every person you talk to is a real student at your school. Second, map-first discovery — every listing is a pin on your campus map with walking-distance rings. Third, contact info stays private until both sides accept the handoff request, so no spammy DMs.

  • Absolutely. About 40% of our listings are rooms in shared houses or co-ops. Just be honest in the description — list how many roommates, who they are, and what the shared spaces look like.

  • Most students who request a handoff get a response within 24 hours. The actual move-in date is up to you and the subleaser to coordinate, but the matching is fast — verified-student-to-verified-student cuts the noise.

  • Handoff isn't your landlord — we're a marketplace. If you have a dispute with your subleaser (deposit, damage, etc.) you'll need to handle it directly with them, the same way you would with any private agreement. We strongly recommend a written sublease agreement and meeting in person before any money changes hands.

  • USC is fully live as of Spring 2026. UCLA, LMU, and Pepperdine are launching for Summer 2026. CSULA, CSULB, CPP, CSUF, and Chapman are next on the roadmap — drop your .edu in the waitlist below to be notified when your campus goes live.

  • Almost always, yes. Most leases require landlord consent before subletting. We don't enforce this on Handoff — that's between you and your landlord — but you should read your master lease before posting. If you sublet without permission, you could be in breach of your own lease.

Got a question we didn't answer? hello@handofflease.com

Campus waitlist

Not at USC yet? Get on the list.

Drop your .edu email. When Handoff comes to your campus, you'll be the first to know — and the first to list.

No spam. We only use it to confirm your school.

Supported campuses

  • usc.eduLive
  • ucla.eduLive
  • lmu.eduLive
  • pepperdine.eduLive
  • chapman.eduLive
  • calstatela.eduLive
  • csulb.eduLive
  • cpp.eduLive
  • fullerton.eduLive
  • csun.eduSoon
162 students verified · USC live now

Your next sublease
is one .edu away.

Verify with your college email in under a minute. Browse, request, hand off — without ever DMing a stranger again.

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Free forever · No subscriptions · No transaction fees