Ah, renting with roommates. Sounds like something you want to get done and over with as soon as you graduate from college. Renting a house with roommates doesn’t have to be a nightmare, though. Remember that people have lived in groups for most of human history, so there must be reasons why we managed to survive so long.
In fact, if you decide to rent a house with multiple roommates, it can be a fun, rewarding experience if you take the time to lay things out clearly before you get started. You’ll just want to make sure your potential roommates are as compatible with you and each other as possible.
Think about your overall approach
There are different ways that you can start the process. You can find your roommates first and look for a place together, or you can scope out a house that you like and then find people who might like to rent it with you. Each of these approaches has its advantages:
● Find your roommates first
If you first get a good group of people together, you’ll be able to make the decision on a house with each person’s input. This way, everyone will feel like they have a stake in the process, and people will be less likely to complain that they don’t like such-and-such aspects of the house because they gave their consent initially.
● Find a house you like, then fill it
If you take the time to find a place that’s for rent, you’ll have the advantage of being able to choose features that you like. Look through the real estate offerings online and see what you can find. Then, you’ll be able to find roommates to whom you can simply list the house specs and see who is willing to go with them. 
Finding your roommates
Finding good roommates with whom you will be compatible can certainly be a challenge. We’ve all heard stories about that roommate who trashed the house on a daily basis, or the one who held loud parties in the living room four nights a week as the others were trying to sleep.
You might consider living with friends. If so, consider carefully whether or not you think three friends can live together without issues. Cohabitation can be a great way to help people bond, or it can destroy a friendship, so it will pay to think about this question in detail.
If you do decide to advertise, think about what you’re looking for. You won’t be able to predict every aspect of your future roommates’ behavior, but you can make things a little easier for yourself by taking a few simple steps in advance of your search:
- 1. Think about what is really important to you.
If you have a serious job and you value quiet above all else, state this clearly in your request for roommates. Or if you’re new in town and feeling a bit lonely, perhaps you’re looking for new friends. Be sure to be clear about all of this in whatever announcements you post, because everyone has different priorities when it comes to living with other people.
2. Be realistic about how clean you are, and what level of cleanliness you expect from others.
If you tend to leave the dishes in the sink for 2-3 days at a time, and have had this habit for the last 20 years, be honest about it. Some people are neat freaks and can’t stand the sight of dirty dishes left out in the morning. Do you clean up after yourself when you’re sitting around the living room? Do you expect the people you live with to behave as you do? Think carefully about your personal habits and what you would consider compatible with them.
3. Do you like to cook?
Do you want to cook with other people? This can be a fun way to bond with your roommates, but only if they really like it. Some people hate to cook and would rather simply get takeout or go out to eat most of the time.
Consider what your shared costs and necessities will be
This is an important one. A lot of roommate problems emerge from unclear expectations about who will pay for what and when. This applies to several things:
● Utilities
People handle their utility bills differently. Some roommates will take turns being responsible for who actually sends in utility payments. Others will designate different bills (gas, water, etc) to different people and have the respective designees be responsible for collecting percentages from the rest. Many a roommate dispute has been had because someone failed to send in their check on time, and the electricity ended up getting shut off. So it would be worth your while to sit down with your roommates and lay things out in as detailed a manner as possible so that your house continues to function as it should.
● Household necessities
Even if you designate your own personal food sections in the fridge, there are going to be certain things you and your roommates will have to share. It doesn’t make sense to have four different bottles of dishwashing liquid on the kitchen sink. So you’ll want to sit down with your roommates and make a list of household necessities on a monthly basis, then decide on a way to have everyone pay by a certain time. With e-payments as popular as they are these days, taking care of things like this is easier than ever.
Also, general things like how you will pay rent and collect from your roommates, as well as things like security deposits should be considered. Once you’ve determined who will do what, you’ll want to make your agreement official. You might be wondering, do all roommates have to sign a lease? You can look at Lawrina for an example of a roommate agreement that lays out the terms of service and makes the parties legally bound to split rent payments abide by the rules.
Be clear about guests
How often and under what circumstances guests should be allowed in group houses is arguably the biggest source of friction among roommates. You should decide early on whether you’re comfortable with having your roommate’s boyfriend sleep over four nights a week (after all, he’ll be using your hot water too!) or not. You don’t have to determine visits down to the millisecond, but talk to your roommates about what each of you realistically expects in terms of guests and whether or not you’re ok with weeknight gatherings, big parties, etc.
Enjoy your shared experience
Once you take the time to find the right people, lay out the rules carefully, and make the agreement official, you’ll have a much-improved chance of having a great roommate experience. Just be sure not to leave out anything that is important to you, because it will likely come up at some point, and you don’t want to be caught in a bad situation because you neglected to think ahead.