People who are seeking a roommate often struggle to find an individual who fits their needs. It can be complicated to understand your demands and find someone who meets them thoroughly. As a result, a large number of people end up in an expensive living situation or choose a roommate that they fight with excessively.
That doesn’t have to be the case with you! If you are willing to follow these simple steps, you can find a great roommate that suits your living situation. You should also talk to a property management company in Fair Oaks to increase your search for possible roommate candidates.
Consider Your Living Situation
The first step necessary in finding a great roommate is to consider your living situation carefully. This process requires assessing your schedule, how well you mix with others, and your possessive tendencies. People who have lived in a home or apartment long enough start to think of it as theirs and have a hard time letting other people come into their living situation.
It is important to find a way to let go of that behavior by finding a roommate that you can trust. When seeking a roommate, you also need to find someone who suits your personal preferences. For example, if you’re a quiet person who doesn’t like wild parties, find someone who has the same lifestyle. You should also find someone who has a similar schedule to avoid sleeping conflicts.
Make a List of Deal Breakers
What personality traits or behaviors are deal breakers for you? This information is important to consider because they can help you find a good roommate. Maybe you don’t like people who smoke cigarettes or drink excessive amounts of alcohol. Perhaps you’d prefer someone who worked the night shift, like you, so that their activities during the day wouldn’t keep you awake.
Whatever your deal breakers, you need to create a comprehensive list when seeking a roommate. Be honest with yourself about these situations. A full list of these problematic behaviors and personality traits are essential when creating a high-quality roommate questionnaire later on in this process.
Create a Questionnaire
After you’ve come up with your deal breakers, you need to create a survey for each prospective client. This list should ask a variety of questions about a person to better understand their lifestyle, including:
- Do you smoke or drink?
- Are you looking for a place with pets?
- What is your working schedule?
- Is there a chance you might bring a significant other with you?
- How did past living situations end?
- Do you have any medical conditions that I should know?
Some people may be annoyed by this questionnaire because they don’t want to reveal personal information. Others may dislike it because they don’t want to answer it honestly. Good roommate candidates will be able to answer it quickly, accurately, and to your satisfaction. Don’t be afraid to be as honest as possible when seeking a roommate.
Put Up Your Advertisement
The next step in the process is to put up an advertisement letting people know you are seeking a roommate. A good ad lists out how many rooms are in the home, the amenities of the home, and how much they can expect to pay. Typically, it should also include what utilities are included in the price of the rental and what renters will have to pay.
Contact information should include a cell phone number, an e-mail address, and good contact times. Place this advertisement in your local newspaper and on various online advertising sites. Spread out your ad to as many sources as possible to increase your potential candidates. You might get dozens of applications, so make sure you create enough time to talk to everyone.
Talk With Each Applicant
When you meet with each applicant, look over their questionnaire, talk to them about it, and get a feel for who they are as a person. Trust your instincts when it comes to this situation. If you get a strange feeling that someone is lying to your or distorting the truth, they may not be right for you. Seeking a roommate is a serious process, so don’t be afraid to get a little strict.
Try to talk with the candidates in a way that promotes casual conversation. There are two reasons you should get them to talk casually. First of all, you are opening them up a bit and getting to understand their personality. Secondly, you are increasing the chance that they may slip up and reveal something that they were hiding. It may seem unfair to behave in such a suspicious manner, but it can help spot people you wouldn’t want as roommates.
Do Background Checks
Invest in doing criminal background checks on serious candidates. You don’t need to pay to do background checks on everyone, but should once you have narrowed it down to about 5-10 candidates. In this way, you can see if they have any hidden criminal history. While many people are likely to have minor or even serious offenses, they may have moved past them at this point in their life.
However, if you run into somebody who has multiple serious crimes, it might be wise to pass on them. It all depends on how comfortable you are living with someone who may have committed a crime in the past.
Finding the Best Roommate Possible
As you can see, seeing a roommate doesn’t have to be a complicated procedure that ends in dissatisfaction. Though it will take some time to sort out all the good candidates, it is possible to find the best roommate for your needs. While it is true that some people may lie during your interview or on their questionnaire, you should be able to figure that out rather quickly.
If you need more help with this process, a good property management company in Fair Oaks can guide you through it. It will require a little hard work and some difficult personal reflection, but it is more than worth it once you find the perfect roommate.