If you’re looking for a roommate to share your Bellingham rental home with, you might be thinking about how difficult it will be. After all, a roommate will greatly impact your home life, for better or worse. There are, however, things you can do to assist you in finding a roommate with whom you will get along. You can find someone with the habits, values, and personality to be the best possible roommate for you if you follow these guidelines.
Start early. The most critical aspect of selecting an excellent roommate is to provide adequate time. If you are pressed for time, you may make poor choices that negatively affect your quality of life. If feasible, begin looking for a roommate well in advance of the time when you will need someone to move in.
Ask your friends. While sharing a place with a friend may not make sense, you should ask people you know if they know anyone searching for a roommate. Someone you’ve been recommended by a friend, coworker, or family member could be a roommate with whom you’ll get along smoothly because you both know and enjoy the same people.
Use social media. Make use of social media to spread the word about your search for a roommate. You can quickly create posts describing your circumstance and the type of person you seek. Social media can also help you reach out to people outside of your immediate neighborhood. You might meet your new roommate when they relocate to your town from another city.
Do multiple interviews. After you’ve received a few applicants, conduct multiple interviews with your best picks. Prepare a list of questions to ask them, and then follow up with the ones you like most after your first round of interviews. Make it a point to enquire about their employment and financial condition. It may be uncomfortable, but you must be aware of these facts. This will enable you to gain a deeper understanding of each applicant and their fit with your criteria.
Know your deal-breakers. Additionally, it’s critical to grasp exactly what you will not tolerate in a roommate. These are the “deal-breakers” that would make living with this individual intolerable. While everyone’s deal-breakers are different, recognizing yours will help you weed out those who aren’t a good fit (and communicate them to your potential roommate). Nobody wants to forfeit their security deposit due to a bad roommate.
Ask for references. It’s always a good idea to get many references from your potential roommate — and then contact them. If the applicant is unable to provide any names or if all of their references are family members, these are red flags to be aware of. Ask questions that will help you grasp who the applicant is and how they act at home when you chat with each reference. When applying for a rental through RPM Teyata, we would contact previous landlords to find out about their previous tenant’s behavior. This is part of our screening procedure.
Be upfront about costs and expectations. It’s important to be open and honest about your expectations and arrangements when interviewing potential roommates. This covers the amount of rent the roommate is expected to pay, the manner in which and when payments are due, whether utilities are included and how much they cost, and so on.
Put everything in writing. Finally, every roommate arrangement must be in writing. A written, signed document will serve as a useful reference for both of you; it will also serve as a useful reference in the event of future disagreements. Make your written agreement as clear and exact as possible to your particular agreement. All interested roommates should apply through our website in the event of a landlord-tenant relationship. Otherwise, this might be a case of an unauthorized tenant, which could lead to your leases being terminated.
Are you in the market for a new rental home? Real Property Management Teyata has an inventory of great listings that update regularly. Contact us or browse available properties online.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
