When you’re deciding to move out on your own, one of the first questions on your mind is usually “should I get a roommate?” It’s an important question and it’s certainly not a decision that should be entered into lightly. A roommate or roommates can make or break a living situation, and if you don’t choose carefully, you could be in for a very long year (or however long your lease is for).
Who you live with is almost as important as where you live. After all, this is the person who you share your living space with. The person who will probably get to know many of your disgusting and unsavory habits. The person who will turn you on or off to living with others in the future. And while there are a number of qualities and characteristics you’re going to want to know about (significant others, pets, work schedule, stuff like that), it’s also important to weigh the pros and cons of having a roommate before you make a decision.
Let’s explore some of those:
Pros
- Someone to share expenses. If you’re striking out on your own for the first time, the cost of maintaining a home can be quite shocking. You might be working in an entry level job with a small salary or maybe you’re an entrepreneur just starting out. A roommate can help ease the burden of some expenses.
- Someone to share household maintenance. Maintaining a home doesn’t just include repairs. It also includes cleaning, grocery shopping, paying bills, and a number of activities. Having a roommate to split the chores with spreads the responsibility around as well as saves each person time (since no one is doing everything).
- Someone to socialize with. This is especially helpful if you’re moving to a new city or town. If you move in with someone who’s already living there or you move with someone who’s also new, it’s less likely that you’ll feel lonely. You’ll be more encouraged to go out and explore and perhaps meet new people.
Cons
- Dealing with a deadbeat. Let’s face it. Not everyone is as responsible as we are. You may pick a roommate who can’t manage the $5 in his wallet or keep a job, never mind paying his portion of the bills. Having someone to split the bills with may mean that you pay everything up front and then wait to get paid back. Which, sadly, might not happen.
- Living with a slob. There are lots of people who don’t like to clean, don’t care to clean or just don’t know how to clean. When it all comes down to it, it’s just a matter of not wanting to clean, because even if you don’t know how, you can certainly learn. But if you’re someone who likes to live in a neat, orderly, clean house and your roommate leaves dirty laundry, pizza boxes and wet towels all over the apartment, a clash is bound to occur.
- Personality conflicts. Not everyone, not even the best of friends, are meant to live together. You may be a night owl while your roommate is a morning person. He may like to entertain while you prefer small gatherings. You may be loud, she may be quiet. There are any number of toxic combinations that can occur when two (or more) people live together.
Having a roommate can be the best—or the worst—experience of your independent living. It’s essential that you carefully consider all the factors available to you before you decide to live with someone else.
Have you had a roommate? Why? What are some factors that were important to you when deciding on a roommate?
When I first moved out at 17 it was into a flat on my own, but it was basically the bottom story of someones house. I was on my own for 1.yrs, then moved interstate with my best friend and we lived together. It was the best. We got on so perfectly, that it was a HUGE adjustment for both of us when we were no longer living together.
In fact, since we went everywhere together as well most people we met thought we were sisters.
I have lived with a few people and each time it has worked really well, but I have heard some horror stories. For me, I lucked out with really laid back people who were happy for me to cook and them clean the dishes. Everything just seemed to work and there were no arguments over anything. I’m still friends with everyone I shared a house with.
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That’s great! I actually moved out of one apartment to salvage a friendship. My roommate either didn’t clean or went crazy. And she yelled at me once about it.
We’re still friends today because I did that.
For your first apartment, I think the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Even if you don’t get along great, having others to share the expenses is huge. I’ve had hits and misses with roommates, but even in the worst situation I was able to tough it out for 8 months and then find someone to sublet for the remainder of the lease.
One thing that’s important is to find someone with a compatible schedule – if you’re a night owl, you might not want to live with someone who goes to bed at 9 (and will complain if you make any noise).
I completely agree. My freshman year roommate and I functioned on completely different schedules. It was not a good situation when she’s getting up as I am going to bed!
I have had roommates for about five years after college and there was some good and bad. All the bad was my fault for not spending more time talking to the people and just thinking I was getting a room. Had I talked to them for 20 minutes on the viewing day, I would have known they wouldn’t be a good match. For the property I bought, I insist roommates screen new tenants and have a good chat with them, it avoided a lot of trouble.
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Great point! Interview potential roommates whenever possible.
I had 3 roommates when I was in college and I loved 2 of them. One though I could not stand. We just didn’t get along. It really did make my first year of college miserable. If I could redo it I would of probably just had my own place and not deal with other roommates.
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Living on my own was great! It might only have been for 4 months but it rocked.
I definitely think a roommates situation is advantageous from the expenses standpoint, and it can be nice to have the companionship. I think another thing for people to look for is someone on the same schedule as you, since I tend to be an early bird and one of my roommates before was a night owl, so we would disrupt each other’s sleep schedules a lot (but, our place had thin walls, too, so maybe it can work out if the place was spacious enough).
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That’s a question? I always thought, for the first time living on your own, that was a given.
Well, I’ve had 28 roommates in 10 years and only 1 was bad (lazy, didn’t clean). Everyone else was fine. All were from Craigslist. Do not live with friends.
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We have had a total of 3 roommates. Two guys and my sister. My sister has been great. The two guys have been so bad that I made a multiple post series out of them haha
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I could never live with my sisters. It wasn’t great growing up and now, as an adult, it would be worse. I admire people who can live with their siblings as adults.
I had roommates during and for a couple years after college. I definitely liked splitting costs and having friends around but there are always small personality quirks that drive you crazy. You have to figure out which is worth more to you to decide which way to go. I prefer to have a little less money and have my privacy.
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Me, too! After some of the experiences I’ve had, if I ever live on my own again (without the husband or kid), there will be no roommates. No Golden Girls scenario in my future!
Does the roommate have a sig. other? I had a roommate once who was wonderful and we got along great. Then she got a boyfriend and he basically moved in with us. I liked him just fine, but after a while it got old having to constantly worry about if I’d remembered to bring my robe in to the bathroom after my shower etc.
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I had that happen. I couldn’t have my boyfriend stay over but hers practically moved in. I hated that.
I’ve had both good and bad roommate experiences. Now, I have the best roommate ever…my BF! 🙂
I think if you’re clear in the interviewing process and take time to get to know each other before signing the lease, you can be in good shape (my last roommate and I had 2 different meetings lasting over 1.5 hours each before deciding we were a fit for each other).
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I’ve tried room mates before but just can’t do it! Drives me crazy!!