Important Questions to Ask Potential Roommates
Life can be lonely without other people or family to fill it up. Family might be noisy at times, and it might be hard to work at home, but it is nice to have noise and the comfort of people around you to support you, or just for human contact. If you are single, and have moved out of your family home, looking to get set up on your own, you might still feel lonely at times, so in many ways, having roommates may make your life better. You may have your own space and routine, but yet have the comfort of knowing that you have a built-in social circle whenever you need it.
It’s important to meet the potential roommates you’ll be sharing an apartment with and get to know them before deciding to move in together. It’s helpful to think about the kinds of issues that can come up during a roommate interview.
1. Are you a home-based worker?
If they respond yes to this question, it may or may not be disappointing to you. If you also work remotely, for example, it may be a major strain. Though, you would want to consider how much of a hassle it would be to have a roommate at home during work hours too. Thus, before you make any decisions, run the situation first through your thoughts. If you are both home based, you need a good internet. If you both have a noisy job, it might disturb each other, but if you are both writers, or IT Development coders, or jobs that do not require much speech, it could work out for the best.
2. What is your everyday routine?
It’s going to take some time for this line of inquiry to warm up. Beginning with an average day is a good place to start the conversation in this part. The purpose of this question is to obtain a sense of what a regular day is like for each of you when there is no drama or other outside concerns present.
3. What is your present job status and background?
It’s important that any potential roommate has a reliable income that can cover a significant portion of the monthly rent and other shared costs.
4. Are you in a relationship?
If yes, how frequently would your partner be staying at the apartment?
Let everyone know if one of you has a significant other and set some ground rules for how often they may come and what kind of behaviour is acceptable. Simply put, you need to learn what this potential roommate expects.
5. What qualities do you look for in a roommate?
This is the roommate equivalent of the age-old “what are you looking for a job?” Basically, you would want to know if the character, personality, hobbies, etc. you look for in a roommate is suitable to your way of living.
It might seem like a good idea to get a roommate, there are pros and cons of course, so it is always best to weigh these up before moving forward with a decision and entering a contract or accepting rent money!
