Choose the Right Roommate

Deciding to make the off-campus move is a big choice. You are being launched into the word of adulthood, and along with it come major responsibilities like paying the rent, keeping the peace with your landlord, completing your assignments (if you're still in college) and maintaining a job that pays enough. With all these worries on your plate, the last thing you need is a roommate who you can't get along with--that's why it's so important to choose your roommates carefully.

Some leases hold both signers for a living space responsible for the rent. This means if you pay your half of the rent, but your roommate fails to do so, you can be held accountable for the missing half. Before choosing a roommate, do a background check to see how responsible they are. Request to see personal and financial references, including your roommate's ex-landlord and former roommates. References give you valuable insight to your roommate's character and fiscal responsibility. You should never agree to be roommates with someone who continuously pays their bills late.

Housekeeping style is also an important factor to take into consideration. Unless you want to be the next Odd Couple, take the time to find out how clean your roommate is (this would be a good thing to ask the ex-roommates). If you're a neat-freak who believes everything has and should be in its place, you shouldn't room with someone who holds a more casual outlook towards cleaning. If you're naturally messy and like it that way, rooming with a housekeeping fanatic will probably irritate you to no end. If you can't find a roommate with a similar housekeeping style as your own, be sure to set boundaries. You might agree that the bathroom and kitchen should always be clean and organized, but personal bedrooms are your own domain.

Does your roommate party? Do you? Friends and overnight visitors cause some of the biggest problems between roommates. Are you a senior who's starting your honors thesis? Taking 18 credits instead of 15 this semester? Then you'll probably want a roommate who won't throw parties all the time. It's really hard to concentrate on that 25 page research paper when there's a kegger going on in the living room. Unless you want some firsthand info for your anthropology essay on college drinking culture, you're going to need some peace and quiet. This isn't to say your roommate or yourself should never have anyone over--just agree to keep the numbers down, and only at certain times. If you have a lot of work to get done, don't choose a roommate who's going to host Margarita Monday, Tonic Tuesday and Thirsty Thursday.

If you include the above factors into your roommate search, you're sure to find the roommate that's right for you. Take the time to investigate your roommate's habits and character before you sign the lease, and you'll have a happier, more harmonious household.