Finding an apartment is a lot of fun. But sometimes you can’t rent an apartment yourself and you have to find a roommate with whom you can share expenses. This can be a very daunting task, but we have some tips below to help you find the right roommate.
Look Beyond Good Friends
The first person that you might think about is one of your good friends. However, simply because you enjoy spending time together doesn’t mean that you should live together. There’s a good chance they have annoying habits at home that you don’t know about until you are living with them.
The last thing you want is to ruin your friendship simply because you’re looking for a roommate. Try to use social media and online ads to find people beyond your social circle. If the living arrangements aren’t right, at least you still have your friendship.
Ask Them Questions
The roommate you choose should have a lifestyle that complements your lifestyle. When you ask them many questions, including some that could be uncomfortable, may help with saving you grief. Think about asking the following based on your own lifestyle:
- Their work schedule
- If they smoke cigarettes, drink or use drugs
- How often they’ll have guests over
- How loud they like their music
- How much television they’ll watch in the common spaces
- Whether they’ll share household items
- How good their credit rating is
- If they have any health concerns
You are going to have personal priorities when you are choosing your roommate. Maybe you’d prefer a nonsmoker. Or maybe you smoke, and you are looking for someone who also smokes. You want to find someone who is the right match.
Set Expectations for Both of You
Just like you are interviewing them, they are interviewing you. This way you can know if you’re able to live with one another without a lot of conflicts. The questions above will help with satisfying this partly. But you want to also make sure that you give the person some time to ask their questions too.
When they ask you questions, give them answers as accurate as possible. The last thing you want is for a little lie to cause lots of friction.
Find out the things that they expect from you. for instance, neat freaks and sloppy people likely can’t live with one another. Thank them for their time and let them know the reason why you don’t think it will work.
These are three tips that you can use to help you find the right roommate for you. They aren’t completely foolproof, but they can help you get started on the right track.
Thank you for taking the time to read our guide to finding a roommate. We hope that you will come back time and time again. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. We are always posting new blogs to help you with your apartment rental needs.
