Conversations with your roommate before you move in

In order to save money, to move closer to the city core, and even simply because they would prefer not to move alone, more and more people live with roommates later in life. But how do you know who’s going to make a perfect roommate? Deciding on a roommate could involve more than just pairing with another person who wants rent and utilities to save money. On many different levels, you need to choose someone you are completely comfortable with. Some people tend to know the person with whom they move in, and only consider friends, family members, or acquaintances as possible roommates, while others prefer to look beyond their immediate circles.

There are some things that just have to be discussed before a living arrangement is agreed upon. Before taking your own plunge, these are the topic you should remember.

What is his or her idea of clean?

Some people immediately wash their dishes after using them. Only after the sink is overflowing / you have run out of dishes to use can others get to clean. Some consider sweeping every other day usual. Perhaps others do not know how to run a vacuum. This is something that you would need to know before sharing with others an address. And if two people consider themselves clean, they can both have entirely different ideas of what “Clean” really is. 

Find out how cleaning and organising approaches your future roommate to learn beforehand if it jives with your own habits. Running into problems with a messy roommate seems to be one of the easiest qualms to solve, but you can prevent the conflict all together with a bit of preparation on the front end.

Can they pay their portion of the rent?

The thing we hate most about bills is that they have to be paid by someone. Heat, water, Phone, television, communal narcotics, cheese of the month club — all of these bills have to be paid. Ideally, you’re splitting it down the middle unless one of you has a greater need for cable, narcotics, or cheese than the other. Not who pays what, but whose name is on the bill, is the problem. 

There is an additional requirement to have your name on the bill, namely, if they don’t have their money, you’re the guy they call. Typically, dividing possible calls from debt collectors and sharing bill-paying obligations is a smart idea. Of course, if you think your roommate is going to take due dates on bills as mere recommendations, it might then be a smart idea to give them your way.

What is his or her schedule like?

It’s easy to think that it’s not necessary to have a regular routine that syncs up with your roommate’s. How does it possibly matter if the two of you have very close schedules? In reality, it matters a lot. If one roommate is a night owl, and the other must wake up at 5 a.m. for work, Few things are worse than getting your sleep cut short when your slumber is continuously disturbed by a roommate making noise. Only because their preferences are the opposite of yours, it does not make sense to hate a roommate. To stop such concerns, find out first.

Buying Communal Groceries?

Buying collective groceries can save you a lot of money, and it can be helpful to have a running count shared amongst roommates while managing a budget. In spite of these benefits, it can easily become more expensive to share a shopping cart than it’s worth. With the rise of healthy food and increased knowledge of dietary limits, many roommates will have even more distinct and costly diets than you’re going to have. Even if you don’t live with a vegan that’s gluten-free, it may always be safer to use different shopping bags. Many roommates consume much more than others. Instead of making meals at home, some prefer eating out. 

It is good to distinguish between items that are fair game for all and certain snacks that should not be affected by the death penalty if you shop separately. We all have those foods that we’ll spend a few extra bucks on for top of the line products, and it will make you nuts if you come home and find that the good stuff is all gone. Find out what the person ‘s diet is like before agreeing to share an apartment.

What’s their pet personality?

If you love animals and own one and your future roommate doesn’t feel the same way, then that’s clearly a living arrangement that should never happen. But what happens when both of you love animals, but in different ways?

Even if your roommate is cool with dogs, it’s a good idea for them to meet your cator dog before move-in day to see if they’ll be able to live together. More precisely, you should determine in advance whether your roommate will share any responsibility for the treatment of the pet (feeding, cleaning, walking, etc.) and whether you are solely liable for any harm it causes.

About FlatMate.in

FlatMate.in is the first app that helps you to search shared room/apartments based on common liking & interests and not just based on usual factors like location and price range. In other words, we focus on the relationship between potential roommates. A study shows if you share apartment with compatible roommate then chances are higher that you would stay longer with each other and will become friends for life.