What To Consider When Choosing A Roommate

Getting a roommate is a great way to lower your expenses, especially if you have an apartment that you love but you’re worried about making rent each month. However, choosing a roommate is a big decision that should be made carefully. A good roommate can become a trusted friend and make your home a happier place to be. But, a bad one can leave you on the hook financially and turn your home into a nightmare. Always consider these things when you’re choosing a roommate to help you made a smart decision:

Ability To Pay

The reason you’re choosing to have a roommate is so that you have someone to help pay the rent and utilities. Make sure that anyone you’re considering to be your roommate has a good job and has a stable work history. You don’t want to choose a roommate who can’t keep a job or has a track record of only working at low paying jobs. You might also want to run a credit check to see if they are financially responsible.

Criminal Background

You should run a criminal background check on anyone that you are thinking about inviting to live in your home. No exceptions. Sometimes even people you think you know have an unsavory past that they don’t talk about. It doesn’t cost much to have a criminal background check done and it will give you peace of mind to know that you’re living with someone who doesn’t have a criminal record.

Lifestyle

In order to have harmony in your home you should try to find a roommate that has the same lifestyle that you have. If you have a job that requires you to be at work early you don’t want to have a roommate that is having people over or having parties until late at night disturbing your sleep. If you don’t like to drink you don’t want to have a roommate that drinks heavily. If you’re a vegan you don’t want to have a roommate that is constantly cooking meat. Finding a compatible roommate that has a similar lifestyle and keeps similar hours is the best way to make sure that you both are comfortable in the home.

Pets

You should decide before you start looking for a roommate whether you’re willing to accept a pet or not. If you are ok with pets you should decide what type of pets you are comfortable with and how many you will allow. Check to see if pets are allowed in the apartment first. If you decide you don’t want to allow pets make that clear to any potential roommates so you don’t get surprised by a roommate showing up with a pet you didn’t know about.

Personality

Ultimately the most important factor to consider when choosing a roommate is personality. If you and a potential roommate don’t have a lot in common and don’t have similar personalities then that person probably isn’t going to be a good choice to be your roommate.