How to Research a Potential Roommate

Getting a roommate to help offset your living expenses is a great way to pad your wallet. You want to be careful who you live with though. No one wants to be sharing a home with someone they can’t stand. Especially if you’re both locked into a 12 month lease. So, how do you go about finding a good roommate?

How to find a good roommate

There are many ways you can find a roommate. You can ask the local community center if you can put up a flyer. You can ask your friends, get a roommate referral from someone, or go to a roommate matching site and start looking at some profiles. Though these websites do some vetting when it comes to who they allow using their site, you still want to do your own research.

Get to know their past

When you are looking for a roommate your personal safety and reputation should at the top of your priorities list. Start by searching their name online and checking out their social media pages. If your state has a circuit court access website you can use that for free. Be sure to interview your potential roommate. If you don’t hit it off or you have a bad feeling about them there’s no sense in continuing the process. But, you want to dig deeper than just that. You want to do an extensive rental background check on your potential roommate.

Criminal check – Make sure he or she has not been convicted of any crimes (especially violent crimes) in the past. Try speaking to the police to see if they know of your potential roommate. They must follow privacy protocol, but you may be able to get some useful information from them. Though the person may claim to have changed their ways it’s not a risk you want to take. You want to be especially careful about felony convictions. You want to do a thorough check with a professional.

Credit check – This one is important because you will be splitting the bills with this person. If your prospective roommate has poor credit due to unpaid bills and frivolous purchases, you want to stay away. You don’t want your credit and reputation with your landlord being damaged because your roommate didn’t pay his or her portion of the expenses.

Landlord and personal references – As long as your prospect signs off on it, you can ask the former landlord about your prospective roomie. Did they pay rent on time? Did neighbors complain about them? Did they breach the lease? You want to get a look at how they live their day-to-day. Not just when they are trying to leave a good first impression on you. It’s a good idea to speak with this person’s personal references too. Is this person a slob? Or a neat freak? Will this person respect your boundaries?

Sign a roommate agreement

You’ve finally found a good roommate. You can breathe a sigh of relief. Now it’s time to come up with a roommate agreement so you both know the expectations of your living arrangement. Just like your lease and other important contracts, you both need to sign the document. There are a few things you want to consider in this contract.

  1. When and where is rent due? Make sure the roommate knows where to deliver his or her portion of the rent.
  2. How will you divide utilities? If the utilities are already in your name will you add your roommate’s name to the agreement? Or, do expect a check for half the utilities by a certain date each month?
  3. What are the mutual expectations with regard to cleanliness? What days are each of you in charge of loading and unloading the dishwasher? What is the expectation for picking up after yourself? If you have an in-unit washer and dryer, will you establish a laundry schedule?
  4. What are the consequences if one person does not abide by the agreement? Do they have to leave? If it involves money, will you take them to small claims court or send them to collections?

Getting a roommate is a great way to put your bank account back in the black. A roommate can be a positive experience if you do your due diligence and get a good one. It does take some time, research, and money for the background check. But, it’s well worth the investment.

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