At some point in life, many people have had the opportunity to have a roommate. Whatever the situation, it just made sense to have a roommate. Who wouldn’t like to share the rent cost? Who wouldn’t like to share the utility costs? And, who wouldn’t want to have a friend to hang out with or chat with? Having a roommate has a lot of benefits.
As with all things, there are pros and cons. While having a roommate is not forever, living under the same roof for one year can seem like forever. Sometimes roommates don’t always “click”. From personality differences to cleanliness to respectfulness, people come into situations with different thoughts and baggage. So, here are a couple of thoughts about having a roommate that you may want to consider.
First, you may want to consider how well you know the person you are moving in with. Sometimes knowing the person very well is not always the best thing. I have seen situations where two people, who know nothing about each other, have been great roommates for years. I have also seen two best friends move in together and it not last six months. So, decide what you think would work best for you before picking your roommate.
Next, remember that if you sign a lease with your roommate, you are in a legal and binding agreement. The idea of leaving the arrangement if it doesn’t work out may not be an option at all. Or, it could be a very expensive option since you may be liable for the amount of monthly rent you agreed to. So, you may want to consider doing a shorter-term lease to see how the roommate works out. Then, if it works well, you can look at locking into a longer-term lease.
Lastly, you need to have a compromise. As most of us know, no two people are made perfectly alike. There are going to be differences in how roommates do things. So, be sure you don’t have a “my way or the highway” attitude when rooming with someone else. Being flexible can create great environments for roommates.
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