Moving in with a Roommate - How to Make it Work

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Many situations might lead you to live with a roommate. For example, if you’re moving away after college or moving to a new city on your own. Either way, you won’t have a stable job yet, and rent and bills tend to be quite expensive. So, the best call is to live with a roommate and cut these expenses in half. However, moving in with just anyone is a fairly big risk that you shouldn’t take. As such, you must ensure the person you move in with is someone you can get along with. To help you out, we have put together a guide on moving in with a roommate and how to make it work.

What to know before you move in with a roommate

Moving in with a roommate has both advantages and disadvantages. Your bills and rent are cut in half, but you have to make compromises; you don’t live alone and have less privacy. You might be tempted to move in with a friend, but it could turn out that your friend’s living habits frustrate you. Before choosing a roommate, first, keep in mind that friends might not be good roommates. A roommate might not become a friend if you move in with a stranger. Before moving in with them, you should always do a background check on a stranger; finally, whoever signs the leaseholds has all the responsibility. These general guidelines should help you find a decent roommate, at least. However, this is also a good time to learn how to have a clutter-free home, as multiple people living in one home can quickly clutter it.

Finding a roommate

Now that you know what to look out for, it’s time to actually look for a roommate. Consider reaching out to your social circle – co-workers, family, and friends. Provide them with the necessary information, where you intend to live, how much you’ll be paying, what kind of living arrangement you want, how long you’ll stay, and so on. It could turn out that someone in your social circle knows someone looking for the same thing, which is the best outcome. Second, consider looking for a roommate online. You can do this by posting ads with all the relevant info or by creating an account on one of the many specialized apps and websites that help people find roommates. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a roommate quickly, and then you can consider relocating within a week. Moving can be a quick and efficient process if done right.

What you should discuss with a potential roommate

There is a lot to talk about before deciding on a roommate. First, ensure your potential roommate has the money to pay their share and determine how you’ll split the costs. Then discuss chores, such as cleaning, and how you’ll split those responsibilities. Discuss your daily schedules; you mustn’t interfere too much with each other’s daily lives. Talk about sharing and common areas; you’ll be sharing a lot with your roommate, but there need to be some things and places that are off limits for both of you. Most importantly, make it clear that they’re not allowed to mess with things in your bedroom while you’re away. And while we’re on the topic, you also need to divide storage space. Knowing how to make your house roomy and organized will help, but each of you needs to have a place for your belongings.

Lifestyle choices, pets and visitors

Additionally, you will want to discuss general lifestyle, pets, and visitors. Are you both okay with having visitors over, and how often? If either of you has a pet, is the other one allergic or otherwise intolerant of pets? These are important questions, but realistically they can be worked through even if there are disagreements. Lifestyle choices, however, are much more important since they are much more difficult to change. Smoking, drinking, and noisiness should come up first. If you don’t some or drink, it can be hard living with someone who does. Additionally, noise tolerance can easily make or break a roommate relationship. So, you need to set the right boundaries; smoking should only be done outside, and there needs to be a designated “quiet time” when both of you stop making noise. In the long run, this will make living with your roommate much easier.

Resolving disagreements and conflicts

One of the easiest ways for a roommate relationship to fall apart is to let a conflict or disagreement escalate needlessly. As such, you need to discuss with your potential roommate how you’re going to resolve any possible issues. Should issues be brought up immediately, or should you have a designated time for bringing them up? Also, you need to put together a strategy for resolving any issues that come up. Most of all, however, you must always keep communication open. If you let a disagreement fester, it will eventually boil over and lead to a much bigger fight. Remember that living peacefully is in everyone’s best interest, so do your best to be open-minded and try to solve issues. As for the move in itself, coordinate with your roommate as well, and make sure you hire the right size moving van for all of your belongings.