After months of struggling to pay rent, you finally broke down and decided that it was financially time to get a roommate. You asked your friends and acquaintances but all (that you would be willing to share your space with) are currently in leases. Therefore, you take a less traditional route and turn to the internet and acquaintances of acquaintances to fill that empty room that was holding all of your junk treasures. But now, you find yourself living in cramped quarters with someone you don’t know. What do you do? Here are some tips to ease the assimilation period.
- Talk to your new roommate BEFORE they move in. This is essential for two reasons. Reason number one is that you can screen this person and choose someone else instead of trying to escape them once they’ve moved in. Reason two is that speaking to this person before they actually move in will give you at least one or two topics to discuss on night one - unless you enjoy awkward silence.
- Be friendly. You don’t have to become best friends, and in some cases, it may be a good idea not to become friends. However, a simple good morning and an occasional question will ease the tension and make sharing the space easier and more enjoyable for all parties.
- Establish a few rules and guidelines. It’s important to remember that at the end of the day, you are engaged in a business agreement with the other person, and as such, it’s important to lay down a few ground rules in order to optimize the situation for everyone. If you’re not sure how to get started with this, let WilliamPaid help you customize a roommate agreement and save yourself a few headaches and potentially even some cash later on.
- Stay Informed. No, you are not your roommate’s keeper, but it is a good idea to have at least a general sense of your roommate’s schedule as this could help avoid many disagreements down the road. After all, you wouldn’t want them blaring their music at three in the morning while you’re trying to sleep and interrupting an evening study session may not be well received.
Living with a roommate (especially one you don’t know) can easily turn into one of the biggest stresses renters face; however, with a little patience and some serious negotiating, it doesn’t have to be. What other tips would you have to help new roommates live together?
