Apartments - Finding a Roommate

Not everyone needs a roommate, but sometimes having one can make the financial end of having an apartment a little easier. Although, you might be someone who can’t function well while living with a roommate.

While finding the right apartment is clearly an important thing, finding the right roommate is just as important. Like so many other facets of life, having good communication and consideration for other people is a key aspect for staying on good terms with a roommate. There are, however, a few strategies you can try out to find even the nicest person’s little hidden quirks.

First, you should have all roomies sign the lease. You don’t want to get stuck paying the costs for mistakes they could potentially make. For instance, one late night your roomie comes in drunk, bringing with them their other drunken friends who manage to trash the hallway on their way in. If your name is the only one on the lease you’ll get stuck with the bill for repairs and cleaning while your roomie has a clear getaway from it. Don’t let this happen to you. Yes, it might sound a bit outrageous, but nevertheless, don’t risk it.

Agree to pay the rent before it’s due. This way you can avoid ever paying late fees on rent that was due five days ago. Do you know how many meals you could buy with all the late fees you’ve probably paid? A lot. End of story. The point is, don’t let late fees bite you in the butt. It’s a waste of money, pure and simple.

It’s a great idea to discuss everyone’s cleaning/living habits before moving in. One roomie may have a tendency to dust and vacuum every other day, but doesn’t mind having dishes in the sink for a few, while another roomie may be the complete opposite. Living with a roommate is all about compromising. Without compromising you can forget having a trouble-free environment to live in. Compare all your preferences and tolerances with one another. Be considerate of each other; no one likes coming home to a messy apartment. No one has to necessarily act as the mother figure, but you can still keep your place livable and manageable.

So now you know what to do before you move-in, but how do you find a suitable roommate? Before you go out and start going crazy with the fliers at all the local coffee shops, you first need to prepare yourself with what you are willing to tolerate in a roommate. As the saying goes “Opposites attract”, that may not be the case when it comes to living with someone. If you’re a 9-5 accountant you probably won’t be able to live well with a go-with-the-flow punk rocker that plays in a band for his career. Although, this can be wrong and stereotypical, generally it doesn’t workout too well.

First you should prepare questions for each person you interview to answer. Here are some potential questions that you can use to get some very helpful information from:

Are you tidy?
If your idea of fun on a Saturday afternoon is to vacuum your living room and dust off all your collectors items having a roommate who models their lifestyle after a pig probably isn’t the best idea in the world.
Have you had a roommate before? If so, how many?
You shouldn’t immediately eliminate someone just because he/she hasn’t ever had a roommate, but someone who has lived with a roommate might help because they have experienced sharing their living space before.
Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
At first glance this looks like an extremely odd question and might catch your interviewee off guard, but it’s something you need to know of ahead of time. If your roommate has a significant other, how much time will they be spending over at your apartment? If they are going to become a third roommate, you need to know.
Do you have friends over often?
Related to the boyfriend/girlfriend question you need to know prior how much time your new roommate will have their friends over. You should also consider how often you have friends over as well when asking this question. Also consider how comfortable you’ll feel having strangers coming in and out of your apartment.
What do you for a living? What hours do you work?
If the both of you have totally different and opposite schedules you should figure out ahead of time whether it’s a good idea or not to room together. Having different schedules could also mean having different sleeping schedules. This could obviously be a hinderance to your lifestyle.
Do you intend to share our belongings?
This is a very important question to ask. If you personally don’t like sharing your personal beleongsings such as televisions, phones, stereos, computers, etc. you need to let your interviewee know. However, if you don’t mind sharing then also inform your candidates of this as well. They might feel differently.
Do you have references?
Ask for some background references to check up on them and be prepared with your own. They might ask for them as well.

Many of these questions can be covered in an initial phone call or email. They are basic questions that anyone should be prepared to answer. After interviewing someone and you feel it just won’t work out, politely let them know and give your reasons why. If you feel uncomfortable with someone during an interview, eleimate them immedieately. You don’t have to give candidates multiple chances to give a good impression.

Like I said before, not everyone needs or wants a roommate. There are a few things to consider when making the decision of whether or not you need one.

On the side of having a roommate the first obvious reason for having one is it is often a lot cheaper. Sharing the rent, utilities and food bills with another person can save your wallet a great deal. Household chores are split so you’re not constantly breaking your back to keep your place clean, all by your self. Often you can afford a bigger apartment by splitting the price. Another advantage is having a roommate can often fiend off the lonely nights in your big, dark apartment.

For those of you who are all for having a roommate consider the con’s of having one. You have a lack of privacy when living with a roommate. Someone else’s problems can easily become yours. Unless you love having a drama-filled life, this could potentially be a problem. You’re constantly relying on someone to honor their obligation to help pay the rent, utilities and etc. And there is always the possibility of having arguments and disputes with your roommate. No one wants to come home to an apartment filled with tension.

There are some more things to take into consideration as well. Just because you’ve been best friends with someone for yeaers doesn’t mean they will make a good roommate. More often than not, living with close friends does’nt work out. It usually ends up destroying a friendship or relationship.

It’s a good idea to know ahead of time what your’e willing to tolerate and live with. Can you handle someone who smokes? Or someone who always has their boyfriend or girlfriend over? Finding the perfect roommate can sometimes be more stressful than finding your apartment. Start looking as soon as possible; it can take a long time finding the perfect person to live with for the next couple years.

When your’e on the search for a roommate let everyone that you know, know about your search. There may be a potential roommate out there. A co-worker, a friend, anyone. The possibilities are endless.

Once you find your new roommate, don’t expect to become best friends with them. Yes, it’s likely that you’ll become friends, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve found your new lifelong best mate.

You need to be prepared to compromise a little. Sharing a house or apartment with someone usually will require some adjustment and getting used to. Chances are you won’t be able to have your friends over all night playing poker, leave your laundry lay in the bathroom floor or leave the dirty dishes in the sink for weeks. Compromising is the key to a successful living situation.

Clearly, living with a roommate means splitting all the costs down the middle. Usually it’s only fair to split everything 50/50. Rent and utilities are obvious examples of splitting the costs down the middle. Another question though, is how will you split and share the living or common space? Just lay down some ground rules for the new roomie and for you as well. IF you have a white couch that you want to keep that way, make sure roomie knows no eating spaghetti on it or putting their feet up on it. Make all these guidelines clear in the beginning. Housework can be shared easily. Make sure that all roomies are sharing the chores and not leaving them until someone else can’t stand it any longer and absolutely must clean out the toilet. Many people these days have their own personal computers, but if you both plan on having internet access at your apartment all roomies should chip in to buy a router so that everyone can hook up to the net when they please.