If you’re searching for a roommate, you’ve got a pretty big task ahead of you, especially if you don’t know the person at all. You’ll be spending plenty of time together, and you’ll want to find a really good match. To help, we reached out to Lia Wayman and Josie Hubschmann, the co-founders of The Room Ring, a roommate match-making service that uses online data culled from Facebook to help assist in the search. Here are their tips on what you should look for in a would-be roommate.
Be Honest About What You Really Want
Since what’s important to you is highly dependent on your own personal preferences, you should be up front about what you’re looking for. Maybe you’re a light sleeper and want someone who works at night when you’re in bed. Maybe you hate the smell of Indian cooking. No matter what your preference or how insignificant you think your preference really is, be sure to state it up front. If you don’t, you run the risk of your living situation blowing up in your face later on. The Room Ring research has shown that the most important qualities people look for in roommates include respect, honesty, dependability, (relative) cleanliness and timely payment of bills.
What to Disclose Up Front
If you’re trying to find a roommate, chances are high that you’ve posted an ad online. You might not want to be forthcoming about everything online, but these are a few things you might want to consider disclosing from the get-go.
1. Your sleep schedule
2. Your work schedule
3. Your social activity during the week vs. weekend
4. Do you like to entertain in the apartment or do you go out a lot? Roughly how often do either of these take place?
5. Do you have visitors stay over?
6. Your cleanliness
7. Your dietary restrictions/allergies
8. Ask about pets
Key Issues You Should Both Address
Once you’ve found a few people who might be good candidates, you’ll want to interview them in person to see if it’s a good fit. Besides paying attention to how you feel about the person (if you sense it might not be a good fit, follow that feeling), you’ll want to hash out key issues before your roommate signs a lease. If you’re having trouble coming up with issues to discuss, you can start with these questions.
1. How are rent and utilities split? Is it equal or do some people pay more?
2. Are toiletries and food split evenly or is it every man or woman for themselves?
3. Will there be a cleaning/chore schedule or will there be a cleaning service coming in? If so, how often will this take place and how much are you allotting to this type of service?
4. What is the furniture situation? Is there furniture already in the apartment? Does the apartment need more?
Things to Look Out For
The biggest red flags you’ll want to look out for are someone who can’t pay rent on time and someone who isn’t respectful of others’ space, belongings and schedule.
To weed out a candidate who might commit these offenses, founders Wayman and Hubschmann recommend:
1. Requesting their credit score.
2. Asking for previous roommates as references.
3. Asking what they do for a living.
Some ways to avoid living with people who aren’t respectful of someone else’s space are:
1. Talking to them on the phone and/or meeting up in person.
2. Requesting contact information of previous roommates and calling them.
Be Up Front
Above all, be honest.
“Living with someone is such a personal thing, and we think that it is incredibly important to foster an honest relationship. Being up front with a potential roommate before moving in is much easier than unraveling a difficult situation, and part of that process is understanding what is truly important to you,” Wayman and Hubschmann said. “If you like to entertain, tell your roommate. If leaving dishes in the sink or sharing milk are things that set you off, then let your roommate know! The more up-front, the better.”
For even more tips about how to pick the ideal roommate for you, head over here.