Living on your own can sometimes be a great financial burden. That is why many students and young professionals opt for sharing their apartment or house with roommates. Are you one of those people? If you are thinking about moving in with other people, you should know what your life will look like. To help you do that, you can make a list of questions to ask potential roommates before you decide to live with them.
Prepare the questions in advance
Determine Your Wishes and Daily Habits
Just like making a checklist for moving to a new state, you should make a list of things you want your future flatmate to have. There are several things you should ask yourself about your prospective flatmate and living together.
Be specific about his/her character and lifestyle. You don’t need a person who doesn’t like your pet or does not maintain the apartment and personal hygiene. You’re looking for someone who is responsible, trustworthy and reliable. Someone who finishes duties and tasks on time and thinks about the apartment as a new home. So, before moving, make a list with important questions and search for a person which fulfills most of them.
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How Long Will You be Staying?
Make sure your timeline matches that of your future flatmate. In other words, if they are only planning on staying for a couple of months, it might be a good idea to keep on looking. You don’t want to go through the whole process again once they move out.
Do You Have Any Stories About Your Most Recent Flatmates?
Listen carefully to what the person says about their previous living situation, ex-roommates, and apartments. They might unknowingly give away information about some of their own bad habits.
What Kind of a Roommate Would You Like?
You are looking for the perfect flatmate, but so is the other person. Check to see if you meet their requirements. For instance, if they are allergic to cats and you have a cat, you two might not exactly be a match made in heaven.
What Do You Do in Your Spare Time?
Is the person’s go-to pastime activity playing drums at night? Then you probably won’t enjoy sharing space with them too much. What’s more, someone’s hobbies could tell a lot about them as a person.
What Do You Think About Pets?
If you are thinking about getting a pet (or if you already have a pet), it is essential to check whether your future roommate is okay with living with animals. Maybe he/she likes them, but is allergic, for instance, to cat hair or saliva. However, to avoid any misunderstanding or unpredictables, find out what are the pets your flatmate prefers.
Will You Often Have Friends Over?
Of course, both you and your flatmate should be allowed to have visitors every now and then, especially if somebody is just helping their friend move. However, there should be a clear line on just how much is too much. If you are someone who values privacy, you should definitely remember this question.
Do You Know Any Home Maintenance?
A skilled roommate is always a blast to live with. Sink clogged up? They can unclog it. Wi-Fi down? They’ll figure it out. Apartment heating not working? They might be able to fix it. You definitely want a flatmate who knows how to maintain a functional home and how to use tools whenever it needs.
What Do You Do And And Are You Able to Pay the Rent?
This might seem to be a bit of an intrusive question at first. However, you need to be sure that your potential roommate can afford to pay the rent and bills for the apartment every month and won’t rely on you to “help them out” with rent every other week because they couldn’t plan their moving expenses.
How Will We Ideally Divide the Chores?
If you are seriously considering this candidate for your apartment, ask some practical questions. Are there any chores they prefer doing? How do they think you should divide the chores? Are they prepared to do the not-so-pretty jobs if the need arises? Shoot question anytime your gut tells you they don’t want to take part in daily activities.
Think About Questions to Ask Potential Roommate to Get to Know Each Other
Once you’ve shortlisted your candidates to those that seem to be good choices, it is time to get to know them better. In doing so, you will also get to know more about their daily habits, as well as get a better idea of how living with them would work.
Are You in a Relationship?
If your potential roommate is in a relationship, there is a good chance that their partner will come over often. It is up to you to decide if you are okay with this.
How Long Did You Usually Need to Get Out of the Apartments?
This is a trick question. Usually, people who take longer to get ready also take longer to clean up their apartments. In fact, what you’re really asking is: if we’re having friends over, will you take forever to tidy the living room? It’s a great inquiry about your flatmate’s habits acquired at home.
Do You Regularly Pay Rent and Bills?
You shouldn’t share the apartment with your new roommate until you get a clear answer to this question or if it is a negative one. The bills and rent must be paid in time. Any delay in payment can make your landlord angry and he can ask you to leave the apartment and find another one. Just be sure your prospective flatmate is secure and reliable and you shouldn’t worry about a thing.
What Are The Best Places Here to Have Fun?
If the first thing that comes to their mind are clubs and bars, you know you will be dealing with a night owl who often comes back home after midnight. If, however, they start talking about nearby parks, you can assume they are an outdoorsy person who won’t be home much.
Are You Open to Trying New Things?
If you have established that you and your potential roommate have different lifestyles or come from different cultural backgrounds, but you are still willing to give it a shot, you need to make sure that the other person is willing, too. Will they be down to try out your favorite obscure dish your old neighbor from Thailand taught you to make? Will they mind occasionally listening to the music you’re playing? Will they want to participate in your cultural or religious holidays?
Questions to Ask Potential Roommates – Smoking Issue
This is a big one. If the person is a smoker, and you are very opposed to smoking (or the other way around), it could be the deciding factor in the situation. Ask your flatmate about his/her smoking habits and whether they may affect your living together.
What Does Your Usual Day Look Like?
Is this person someone who spends most of their time at home in their room? Are they out and about running errands all day long? Whatever the case is – you must know in advance. Severely contrasting daily lifestyles could make it hard for you two to live together.
Questions to ask potential roommates are important when you need to choose the ideal roommate for your new home – keep in mind that communication is the key to any fruitful friendship. If you think your flatmate isn’t keeping their end of the deal, don’t hesitate to let them know. An open and honest conversation can only benefit both of you. Lastly, remember that your decision isn’t irreversible. If you feel unsatisfied with your choice, you can always move out and search for a new roommate.
