Living with a roommate is a great option for people who are looking to save on expenses while living in suitable accommodation. Living with a roommate can be one of the greatest experiences in your life, but it can also be a bit of a nightmare if things don’t work out. So, we would like to share a few tips with you that will hopefully make the overall roommate experience a positive one.
Make Sure You’re All on the Lease
This first one might sound incredibly obvious but it is important that all the people living in the property are allowed to live there and are actually living there legally. It is important that everyone is on the lease and has agreed to the lease terms since this will help lay the foundation for some of the fundamental house rules and responsibilities. It will also help eliminate some of the potential grey areas.
The Roommate Agreement
If you’ve ever watched The Big Bang Theory then you’re probably familiar with Sheldon and his infamous roommate agreement. As crazy as Sheldon and his roommate agreement may seem, laying out and establishing the house rules, expectations and responsibilities early can help eliminate a lot of stress, pain and unnecessary expenses that nobody wants to deal with, especially when you’re going through school. Some people like to get something in writing while others are ok with a verbal agreement or even a handshake. Figure out what works for you, but make sure everything is understood and nothing is misunderstood when it comes to the roommate agreement and general house rules.
Figure Out How to Share Expenses
It’s important to figure this one out early because often times money or lack of money is the root of a lot of problems. It helps to lay out what is considered a “personal expense” and what is considered a “shared expense”. For example, should groceries be personal expenses where everyone buys their own groceries or should it be a shared expense where everyone pitches in and shares the food? One very important thing to note here is the person whose name is on the utility bills is responsible and liable for these bills and any associated expenses or interest. So, it’s important to figure out what’s owing, what’s been paid and what happens if someone fails to pay on time, because if you’re name is on the utility bill, then you are ultimately responsible, no matter what happens
The term, “clean”, is a relative term, but the point here is whether you love it or hate, you still need to clean the property. If you and your roommates are planning on hiring professionals to clean on a regular basis, then just figure out how often and how the costs will be split and skip to the next section. However, if you plan on cleaning the property with your own hands, then it’s important to establish what needs to be cleaned, how often it needs to be cleaned and who will be responsible for cleaning what. For some people, a verbal agreement or a handshake may be enough, but if you would prefer to have something in writing and to be able to keep track of what’s been cleaned, when it was cleaned and who cleaned it, then it’s important to talk about this early on and agree to what it will look like.
Guests, Guests, Guests
We all have friends and families and occasionally we like to invite them over to our homes so we can spend time with them. If you have roommates it’s important to talk about how you will handle guests. These might include things such as; can they show up unannounced, how early can they show up, how late can they stay, can they spend the night, are they allowed to eat groceries, use amenities, can they spend the night etc. These things may not seem like major issues at first, but we’ve heard some horror stories about significant others or family members that overstayed their welcome and how this contributed to a toxic living environment. The worst one we’ve heard of was someone letting their friend stay in their roommates’ bed while they were away without getting permission. So be sure to talk about this in advance and not after the fact.
Smoking, Drinking and Cannabis Consumption
Some properties don’t allow smoking in doors but some do. If your apartment allows smoking in doors, it’s probably a good idea to decide with your roommate(s) whether or not you are ok with smoking in doors or even on the balcony, if you have one. This applies to drinking and cannabis consumption too. Some people may not drink or consume cannabis products, and even if they do, they may be opposed to storing or consuming it around their home. It’s better to talk about this with your roommate(s) than to assume it’s not a problem and then found out that it is after the fact.
Space, Space, Space
Living with roommates means you’ll have a lot of shared spaces and it’s important to establish how these spaces will be shared. If you feel a space like your bedroom should be private and off limits, then make that clear if you don’t think it’s understood. But when it comes to spaces like the bathroom which may have to be shared, talk about when you’ll need to use it. This comes in handy if you need it before going to work or before going to school, since it’ll help prevent fights and arguments over when you need to use it. Which leads to our next point…
Just because something is in a common or shared space it doesn’t mean it’s communal and available to everyone. As obvious as that may seem, it may not be obvious to everyone. You may not need a checklist of what’s communal and what isn’t but it may not be such a bad idea to drop a hint or talk about it so your roommate(s) know what you do and don’t like sharing.
Medical Conditions and Emergency Contacts
We understand some people may want to keep any medical conditions or ailments that they have private, but in case something ever happens, your roommate may be the first person or the closest person available and it could make a major difference if they know what to expect and know exactly what to do in these situations. So please think this one over and if you feel it’s necessary, talk to your roommate(s) about it and make sure you’re all on the same page.
Other Items and Considerations
When it comes to roommates, there may be some miscellaneous items that may not fall into any of the categories that we mentioned above, and we feel the best way to deal with these is to try maintain clear and open lines of communication, and in some cases, an open mind too. I once had a roommate who was allergic to shellfish, and the smell of crab, lobster, shrimp or similar seafood in the apartment would make him nauseas, and in some cases would make his eyes tear up. It took him a while to bring it up because he wasn’t sure how I would react, but when he finally did, I told him he could’ve told me earlier since it was making life tough for him.
If you have any tips or horror stories that you would like to share, please comment below,contact us or comment on our social media.