By Angela B.

Nervous about having a roommate for the first time? Or for the first time in a while? We get it, and Roommates.com can help. We have lots of tips to help you feel prepared and even learn to be a great roomie yourself. 

We’ve put together this first-time roommate checklist, so you can avoid the mistakes so many make and have a great roommate experience from the start. 

New Roommate Checklist

1. Ask Good Questions Beforehand ✅

Living with someone is bizarrely intimate. You’re sharing a living space and joining your lives together for a season. A few weeks before your move-in day, schedule a coffee meet-up to get on the same page with your new roomie about the details of your living situation.

Here are some good questions to ask them:

• What’s your daily work schedule?
• What do your cooking and cleaning routines look like?
• When do you generally get up and go to bed?
• How much time do you spend at home on average?
• How do you like to spend your weekends?
• How often do you tend to have visitors over? (If their significant other practically lives with them or they have big dinner parties most weekends, that’s good to know.)
  
  

When chatting with your new roommate, be sure to have a list of non-negotiables so there aren’t any surprises when it comes to decision-making (things like, quiet hours are 11pm-7am, no pets, etc.). Remember, people with different lifestyles and schedules often make for great roommates… but you have to be on the same page first. If you show respect to the other person in all things, your chances of being a great roommate improve dramatically.

2. Establish Money Rules  ✅

When things are getting real, it’s time to plan how you’ll pay for your apartment with your new roommate. Here are a few money-related issues to work out ASAP:

• Make sure your finances are in order. New renters often underestimate how much a new rental costs. Signing a new rental agreement often requires a security deposit plus first and last months’ rent. If you have a pet, it’s likely higher. Make sure you have this money set aside and be prepared to show your new roommate evidence of this money in the bank.

Discuss your prospective roommate’s financial situation too. Do they have a steady income? Can they show you recent pay stubs or bank account information? Practice talking about money regularly with your new roommate. This will help you navigate this sensitive subject in the long run.

• Create a firm plan for how you’ll pay for your apartment and expenses right off the bat. This includes the mode you’ll use to actually pay rent to your landlord (direct deposit, cash, etc), who will arrange payment of the utility bills (including streaming services), how toiletries and groceries will be handled, etc.

(If you tried out numbers 1 and 2 and determined your prospective new roommate might not be a good fit, no worries! Visit roommates.com to create a free profile and start searching for the best fit today.)

3. Agree On Basic Household Rules Together  ✅

Once you’ve determined the prospective roommate will be a good fit and move in, it’ll take some time to really get to know one another. You both enter the arrangement with personal preferences and assumptions about how things will go. Actually living with a new roommate is negotiating how you will share your space. 

It’s best to talk these things through as they pop up. Don’t put it off. Be honest, but keep it short and manageable. Set some ground rules, and be willing to adjust regularly. Be flexible, communicate, and be patient with each other. If you approach this with an attitude of learning and growth, you’ll likely have a great roommate experience.

Here’s a short list of common scenarios you’ll want to nail down before you move in:

• Establish simple rules about keeping things clean (wash your dishes after each meal, or the bathroom needs to be cleaned once a week, etc.).
• Create routines for who will take out the trash, purchase cleaning supplies, and other essential “housekeeping” items.
• Don’t borrow things from your roommate without asking.
• Respect each other’s private space.
• Clean up after yourself.
• Set ground rules for having friends over (Specific days? How late can they stay?).

When in doubt, follow The Golden Rule: treat them how you want to be treated.

4. Carefully Review the Terms of Your Rental Agreement  ✅

There can be A LOT of details in your Rental Agreement, so you must read it carefully and ask questions if you don’t understand something. Your new Landlord should be able to clarify everything in your rental agreement BEFORE you sign. Need more help sorting this out? We put together this blog post just for you.

5. Consider Renter’s Insurance  ✅

It’s a good idea to have renter’s insurance, whether or not you have a roommate. Renter’s insurance will cover some or all of your belongings if you have a loss due to water, fire, or theft. You can often add this to an existing car insurance policy or look for companies specializing in renter’s insurance, like Lemonade.com. You’ll need to sort out if you should have your own or a shared policy with your roommate(s).

6. Respect Each Other’s Time and Possessions  ✅

Establishing rules around respecting your roommate’s time and possessions is vital in a new living situation. Without firm boundaries, things can get tense quickly. One example is not borrowing each other’s clothes, bikes, or other important possessions without permission. Also, respecting your roommate’s time by showing up on time to scheduled meetings is an important boundary too.

7. Share the Details of Your Move-In Day  ✅

Moving day can be stressful for everyone, including someone already living in your space. If you’re moving into a place where your roommate is already established, communicate the details of your move-in day, so your new roomie knows what to expect. 

8. Set Up a Monthly Check-In  ✅

Keeping communication lines open is key to having a happy roommate experience. Set up a monthly check-in to talk about how things are going, clarify issues that have come up, or work through conflicts. Your living situation will be much smoother if you make this happen each month. For example, on the first Sunday evening of each month, from 8-9pm, make plans to grab a drink and talk things through with your roommate.

9. Consider a Chores Schedule  ✅

Even adults can benefit from boundaries and routines. Make a chores list with your new roommate and establish a schedule for how these things will get done weekly or monthly. Just a few examples are regularly keeping the bathroom, kitchen, and other common areas clean.

10. When Things Change, Talk About It  ✅

Commit to communicating early about any changes in your living situation. Is your job moving to another city? Make sure your roommate knows this early, and be clear about what this will mean for your living situation. Talk it out and listen well. You’ll both be happier for it.

11. Don’t Assume They Know How You Feel  ✅

As in any relationship, your roommate cannot read your mind. The mature way to communicate how you feel is to talk about it. Sharing how something makes you feel is important for learning to live with your new roommate. Does it bother you that they have friends over until 4am every weekend? Tell them you find it hard to sleep with a full house and you value your weekend sleep to catch up from your busy work week.

12. Follow Through With What You Say You’re Going To do  ✅

This is Adulting 101 - do what you say you will do. Don’t renege. Don’t make excuses. Set your expectations, and follow through. If you say you’ll take out the trash or buy the dish soap, do it. If you forget, apologize quickly and follow through with your commitment.

13. Create a Move-Out Plan  ✅

Having a move-out plan BEFORE you need to move out will save you tons of stress in the long run. Your rental agreement will spell some of this out, but making a plan with your new roommate is an honorable and mature way to handle this inevitable circumstance.

14. Keep in Good Standing  ✅

Mending your relationships when things are rocky, and over-communicating can save you a lot of roommate conflict. You live with your roomie, and staying in good standing with them is important for your overall well-being. Make this a priority.

15. Plan Some Fun Together  ✅

From here on out, you’ll see a lot of your new roommate. Here are some tips for having fun together once you’ve decided to call each other “roomie.”

• Schedule a monthly dinner together. Take turns cooking for each other, or go out.
• Volunteer together at a local soup kitchen, food bank, or after-school program monthly.
• Throw a dinner party for a few mutual friends, and do the cooking together.
• Head to the park or beach on a sunny day. Bring a picnic, and tell each other about your best childhood memories.
• Take turns taking each other to your favorite coffee place in town.
• Tackle a project together in your apartment, like setting up a reading nook or art corner. 

Ready, Set, Search!

Finding a roommate can be tricky, but roommates.com can help. We’re the smart, safe, simple way to help new roommates match. Once you find each other, learning how to live together is equally important. Follow this checklist for ideas on how to improve your roommate game. You can thank us later.

Make sure your roommates.com profile is up to date, and let’s get started finding you a new roommate you’ll feel right at home with.