Should I Get a Roommate?

When you find yourself asking “should I get a roommate,” there are a number of factors you should consider, like your personality, your lifestyle, your current financial situation, and your financial goals. There are many questions you can ask yourself to determine if having roommates is the right move for you. Use these important questions to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of roommates and determine if you should get a roommate.

1. Can I afford to live on my own or should I get a roommate to save money?

One of the main benefits of having a roommate (or multiple roommates) is splitting rent, utilities, and other shared expenses. That means roommates can make renting more cost-effective, especially if you have financial goals you can’t reach while renting on your own. Some factors that may impact whether you can afford a place on your own include:

• The cost of living in the neighborhood, city, or state you want to live in
• The price of rent where you want to live
• The size or type of rental you want to live in
• Your current salary
• Your financial goals, like saving to buy a house or paying down debt

2. Do I want to share my space with someone else?

Having roommates means you have shared living spaces for you and all of your roommates as well as your guests and theirs. Depending on the rental, you may have to share a bathroom, kitchen, living room, or every space in the rental (which is common for couples who become roommates). Even if you have a private bedroom and/or bathroom, which are two of the most intimate spaces, you have to have a high level of comfort with sharing space with other people, including those you don’t know.

However, your level of comfort may depend on a few factors:

• Whether you know your roommate(s)
• What is your current relationship with your roommate(s)
• Whether you’re introverted or extroverted
• Whether you’ve had good or bad roommate experiences in the past

You may also just be at a point in your life where you don’t want a roommate unless that person is your partner. That’s a valid reason to not compromise your personal space at all and opt to live on your own.

3. Can I accept the financial risks of having a roommate?

When you have a roommate, you have to depend on them to help you pay the rent and utilities and do so on time. A missed or late payment can negatively impact your reputation as a renter and lead to late fees. Multiple missed or late payments can lead to eviction or worse. That’s why it’s so important that you choose a roommate who is financially stable and responsible.

The other option is to take on the financial responsibility yourself. Your current financial status, the cost of living in your area, and how much you’re looking to pay in rent can determine if you can take on this responsibility. Here are some situations you may want to consider regarding the financial risks of roommates:

• Your roommate’s financial situation may change leaving them unable to pay rent for a month, multiple months, or at all
• Your roommate not being able to pay rent on time
• Your roommate not being able to pay utilities on time
• Your roommate failing to pay shared expenses equally

4. Do I know someone I can trust to be my roommate?

You can choose a roommate from your group of friends or from your professional network. You can even move in with a family member or partner. But in choosing a roommate that you already know, you have to weigh the following factors to determine if they’re a good potential roommate:

• Your relationship and whether you’re okay with that relationship changing if being roommates doesn’t work out
• How much money they make and how much you make together
• Their personality and lifestyle and how that compares to yours
• Their ability to pay rent and other bills

5. Am I comfortable living with a stranger?

You may not know anyone who can be a good roommate because you’re moving to a new area or you would rather start fresh with someone new. There are many ways to find a roommate who you don’t already know, including:

• Roommate search forums and social media groups
• Friends of friends and word of mouth
• Your professional network
• Posting an ad

Just as you would with someone you know, you should discuss the following to make sure they’re going to be a good roommate:

• Individual and combined income
• Budgeting habits
• Rental history
• Debt and other financial obligations
• Lifestyle and sleeping habits
• Expectations for a rental

6. Can I handle potential conflicts?

Whether or not you knew your roommate previously, you may encounter issues that you’ll have to discuss, compromise on, or ignore and let go. Think about how you would handle the following situations with your potential roommate:

• The rental’s temperature
• Needing alone time and personal space
• Cleanliness issues
• Noise issues
• Missed or late rent
• Theft or emergencies
• Personality differences or clashing lifestyles or habits
• General disagreements

If you don’t believe you (or your roommate) will be able to handle these situations respectfully, then you might reconsider having them as a roommate or having a roommate at all. In contrast, if you believe that you and your roommate can work through these issues, you may be better suited to having them as a roommate or having a roommate in general. It’s important to note that you may want to just avoid having to handle these conflicts with roommates, and that’s okay, too.

This list of questions can help you create a comprehensive, personal pros and cons list to help you see if getting a roommate is the best option. These answers may change over time as you gain experience with roommates, advance in your life and career, and experience other life changes that can impact whether or not you want to live with roommates.