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Start by sitting with a potential roommate; determine what the goals are of each party before moving in together. Similar goals may prevent future feuds. Some roommates want a roommate because there may be a desire to find a new friend, but others are simply looking to share rent to reduce their bills.
Problems may occur when one roommate instantly expects an immediate friendship when he moves in, yet the other roommate may be too busy to socialize. Feelings can be hurt, and tension can build. Try finding a roommate that has similar goals. - Determine your roommate's lifestyle before deciding to move in together. If he is up all night listening to loud music while you are seeking sleep, you may not be suitable roommates.
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Consult with your roommate about how you are going to divide or share provisions in the house. As you buy groceries, laundry detergent and other sundries, you need to determine if you are going to share the expenses or buy each item individually.
If you plan to share items, consider who is going to shop for him. One party may be frustrated by being the one who always purchases the soap, detergent and milk. Consider making a schedule of who buys what each month. Keep receipts for review at the end of the month. -
Consider how you are going to handle the payment of utilities and who is going to be on the bill. If one person is responsible for paying all the bills, there may be a problem if that person does not pay the bills. Service can be turned off.
There is also risk of your credit being harmed if you both have your names on the utility bill. If the other person does not pay, your record shows you are late on payment as well. - Be polite and considerate when living with a roommate. If you are looking to reduce or prevent feuds with your roommate, be considerate by not dropping dirty clothes around shared living spaces. Keep the shared bathroom clean. Be quiet if coming home late while your roommate is asleep. Follow these simple rules, and you are on your way to having a strife-free roommate situation.
- Set a weekly or monthly meeting to have calm and open communication. This may be a set time for fifteen minutes to resolve any house issue. Sometimes it's best to resolve issues as they happen, but some roommates prefer to set aside one day per week to talk about a list of items that need to be discussed.
