How to Find a Good Roommate

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By: John Salvatore

Everyone knows that one of the toughest parts of being a twenty-something living in the city is finding a good roommate. Roommate problems span from somebody never paying bills to mounds of dirty clothes piling up to dishes growing mold in the sink because somebody didn’t clean up after himself.

There is certainly an endless supply of bad roommate stories from people who have lived in apartments, and they’re not ending any time soon. These stories include problems with a roommate’s girlfriend taking everyone’s rent checks, cashing them and running away to Canada, roommates being arrested in the apartment after running around in a drunk frenzy and the usual roommate inviting somebody over who then proceeds to urinate on half the room.

There are some crucial steps that can be taken before you choose a roommate. Finding a good roommate requires a certain amount of time invested to make sure that a person is compatible and responsible enough. A person’s personality may not be the most important quality when choosing a roommate, and you may want to think about a few of the following questions.

Does your roommate have a similar sleep schedule as yours?

If not, will you have to be consistently woken up when he comes back at 2:30 in the morning, slams multiple doors, starts screaming on his cell phone in Spanish and then proceeds to eat an extremely crunchy bag of Kettle Chips before finally shutting up and going to sleep? You could try and get him back by pulling open the blinds in the morning to let the sun in, but is this really a good roommate relationship?

What kind of music does your roommate listen to?

Make sure you have a general idea of what music your roommate listens (lastfm, facebook or band shirts) and how loud he plays it. Having a roommate play Tool on the top notch of his new sub woofer sound system a hundred times an hour can be hard for anybody to take.

How is your roommate’s health?

Does this potential roommate look pale and weak? Is he the type of person to catch colds all the time? Besides the loud sneezing and coughing that will keep you up half the night, imagine all the disinfecting you’ll have to do whenever he blows his germs to every corner of the room.

Does he have money?

This is probably one of the most important factors of all. No matter how awesome your roommate is, if he doesn’t pay the bills every month and you have to cover for him you’ll end up hating his guts. Especially when he owes you $2,000 at the end of the lease and can’t make the payment. This includes the extra charge that the landlord gave after he ruined the carpets with his “awesome ’sex and the city’ wine party”. Wine, lots of drunk people, and carpeting don’t go together in an apartment. Make sure this new roommate either has a job, is going to get a job, or has rich parents that will fish him out of any financial trouble he may get into.

How much time does your roommate spend on the TV or the computer?

Is he going be the type that has massive Super Smash Bros tournaments with his girlfriend, screaming at the top of his lungs whenever she beats him and make you feel completely uncomfortable to even be hanging out in the living room? Are you gonna be able to hook up with a chick in your room when your World of Warcraft roommate is on a massive raid with his guild that will probably go on for over 6 hours? Yes, 6 hours. Some of the best roommates are the ones that are hardly ever there because you finally get time to spend alone, which can be rare in a apartment situation with multiple people.

Does your roommate have a pet?

Will your roommate buy a pet? Would you mind if your roommate, completely randomly and without your permission, buys a turtle named Nelson Mandela and just expects you to feed it while she’s gone on weekend trips even without asking you? Will you have the guts to starve the turtle to death because it’s not your responsibility? Who’s going to pick up the “droppings” when your roommate won’t? If your roommate ever talks about pets, say your allergic to all types of fur, scales, skins, rubber and feathers.

What about the chores?

Having an apartments means weekly cleaning of the apartment, bedrooms and bathrooms as well as dish-cleaning, taking out the trash, throwing out old food from the refrigerator, dealing with the cops after a noisy party, washing the floor after the bong tips over and a whole bunch of other responsibilities that most people aren’t ready for. If you don’t think the roommate can handle the chores then don’t live with him. Period.

Is your roommate going to be fun?

Or is he going to stay in his room every weekend night studying and won’t be able to even talk to guests that you have over? Is he always going to get mad when you throw bottles and water balloons from your 12th story window or light the kitchen counter on fire with hand sanitizer? Is he going to participate in the Saturday night guy’s poker games and take part in the roommate jamming sessions with karaoke? If he’s no fun at all than the above points may not matter much because roommates are the people you’re going to see seven days a week for at least six hours a day. If you can’t have any fun with your roommate, he’ll just be a stranger living in your room.

Finding a good roommate is important and can be the difference between having an amazing time in an apartment environment or moving back home with your parents. Make sure you think about who you’re picking as a roommate because there are many important factors in the decision.
Photo by: Miamabanta