FIRST APARTMENT HOW-TO: The Right Roomie

Living with people other than your parents is a very exciting thought. However, in order for you to actually LOVE the experience, you need to know how to pick who you would want to live with. You cannot just go with the “oh, my best friends will surely do fine” approach, because that can lead to disaster, ya know. So, I am here to lay some tips on how to find the right roommates and things to look out for!

Let’s look at the best case scenario, where you actually get to pick who you live with. Like, from a circle of friends. I know it is absolutely not like picking which clothes to buy, because these people have feelings too, but there are a few aspects you do need to consider. Let’s assume you already made friends with the person you picked, so the being friendly with them part is out of the way.

First, their financial status.

Now, you do not need their written proof of income. You just gotta be sure that if you sign a contract, they will not bail on you half way through, essentially screwing up your deposit and forcing you to move out, or making you frantically look for another roommate in their place. This has happened to me before, and we did end up having to move out, one of my other roomies had to move back to their parents’ home as well, and she had a CRAZY school and work schedule already. Not a nice move, I must say.

Second, look at their lifestyle.

Chances are you have already been in their home. Are they messy? Do they tend to leave the dirty dishes to their parents? Or are they tidy and always clean up after themselves? What habits do you see them doing? They will carry those habits with them into their own living space, and you do not want to be their mother. Unless you do, in which case, it’s totally up to you man. I’m not judging.

Third, their schedule.

Do you have the same schedule? Neat! You can plan the house cleaning easily. If your schedules differ, that can be a little confusing. I had a time when my schedule was waking up at 6 am, going to work or school, and then getting home at around 8 pm. My roomie insisted that we have a cleaning schedule of mopping the floor twice a week, on a Wednesday and on Saturday. You can only imagine how I was the only one who couldn’t do the mid-week cleaning, thus leading to stress and unnecessary arguments. Be sure to have all parties agree to a schedule and that you’re consistent with it, so no one misses one or leaves it to the other. You can be a little loose with it occasionally, just don’t make it a habit.

This ties in with the two previous points, but consider your roomie’s

social life

as well. Do you tend to go to parties together? Or, do they go to parties every single week and get wasted so they wake you up in the middle of the night whilst crawling their way to their beds? Now, I have to admit, I was one of these people, and now I can see that it must have been super annoying in my roomies’ eyes. I wouldn’t want to help a drunk roomie to bed every single week, and you shouldn’t have to either.

Now, let’s look at an example in which you do not have the luxury of living with someone you already know. Having some stranger move into your apartment, even if it’s a rental, can be scary, which is why, even though it’s awkward, you need to talk to them about the above points, and expect them to be truthful. It’s almost like a job interview, where you’re the conductor. In this case, there are a few extra aspects you should keep in mind.

Age

Ideally, you would want to live with someone around the same age as you. Leads to less arguments, and they are less likely to become your secondary mother/ way too early child.

Appearance

Yes, I know, do not judge a book by its cover right? In this case, sadly, you need to consider how they look, and I do not mean if they are attractive or not. What I mean is, do they look like they take care of themselves? Do they look like someone nice you’d like to share a home with? These are simple, yet very important questions. Of course, you cannot tell if they actually are what they look like to be, but it is good to at least try and avoid the unpleasant people.

People come in all shapes, sizes and varieties. Don’t be afraid to get to know new poeple, make friends and move in with strangers. I hope these guidelines make the process a little easier. Soon I’ll get back to you with a life update, as I’m in the process of moving to live on my own, away from roomies, finally! I’ll possibly do an apartment tour as well, but I cannot promise anything. I’ll do the best I can!

Thank you for reading!

Eomma out.

Photos credited to:
https://pixabay.com/en/users/gery-41694/
https://pixabay.com/en/users/stevepb-282134/
https://pixabay.com/en/users/Alexas_Fotos-686414/
https://pixabay.com/en/users/obpia30-804832/
https://pixabay.com/en/users/fede13-2642320/
https://pixabay.com/en/users/luxstorm-1216826/
https://pixabay.com/en/users/LoggaWiggler-15/