Living with a roommate: the essential checklist

Do you want to settle down as a roommate? Here's a good idea if you live alone, enjoy company and want to share your daily life with people who look like you! Shared accommodation is an economical mode of housing, which offers unique comfort when it is well organised. A way of life that is increasingly popular, especially by students but also by young workers and even by the elderly! So that you are sure to make the right choice, Studapart gives you its best advice for a roommate on the go.

Living with a roommate: advantages and disadvantages

 

The + 

 

• Savings on rent

 

Opting for shared accommodation is generally cheaper than moving in alone. The rent and the charges are divided equally between the roommates, or according to the personal space each has.

 

• Larger, better placed and better equipped accommodation

 

To allow everyone to have a personal space, accommodation that hosts shared accommodation by definition has several bedrooms and therefore more spacious common areas with appropriate equipment, such as in the kitchen or in the bathroom for example. Sharing the costs between the roommates also allows access to housing in better neighborhoods, at higher rents.

 

• Daily company

 

Colocation is by definition a way of living together. You will therefore be surrounded by your roommates every day and will share most of your moments of life with them: getting up, meals, TV evenings, aperitifs with friends, going to bed... You will rarely, if ever, be alone at home!

 

• Sharing household chores

 

If things are well organized and everyone plays the game, you will have allies to clean up and take out the trash! In a roommate that works, we share all the household chores. We also recommend that you establish a schedule so that everyone can meet there.

The – 

• More organization

 

To live well together, you have to be organized! A good organization involves efforts on the part of all the roommates and it is not always easy to harmonize your way of life with one or more other people. Fortunately, you can use tools such as a table for household chores, a shared timetable or an application to organize your expenses.

 

• Less freedom

 

In shared accommodation, you will share your daily life and your living space with other people. Unlike living alone, you will therefore be less free to do whatever you want, such as having pets, decorating common areas to your liking, partying whenever you want, etc. You should always consult your roommates.

 

• Less privacy

 

Even if you will have your personal space in your roommate, that is to say your room, you will necessarily have less privacy than in a single accommodation. Your roommates will be aware of the majority of your daily activities.

 

• Sharing common spaces

 

The common areas such as the living room, the kitchen or the bathroom will be shared with your roommates. It will therefore be necessary to pay particular attention to it and respect a few rules: do not leave your belongings lying around, clean up behind you, etc. In short, allow others to enjoy it serenely, just as much as you.

The essential checklist for living with a roommate

Top 5 things not to miss

 

☐ Find a big enough apartment

☐ Provide a personal space for everyone

☐ Control the budget

☐ Choose the right roommates

☐ Establish rules

How to find a roommate?

 

• On social networks

 

Social networks are a good solution to find roommates. In particular, you will find many groups on Facebook with people looking for roommates to create a roommate or complete an existing one.

 

• In your circle of friends/relatives

 

Sometimes it is not necessary to look far to find a roommate. Consult your circle of friends, your colleagues or even your classmates, it is quite possible that one of them is willing to share accommodation with you.

 

• Through the classifieds

 

You can also check the classifieds or post one. Online or in the public space, it is not uncommon to find roommate requests or offers. All you have to do is call or wait for the calls!

 

What rules should be put in place for a roommate that works?

 

• Be open to communication
• Share household chores
• Share common areas
• Don't leave your business lying around
• Respect everyone's privacy and sleep
• Pay your rent on time
• Establish an organization for the races
• Make a timeshare