Pros and Cons of Getting A Roommate

Living on your own definitely provides a sense of independence that can’t be beat. Sometimes acquiring a roommate can be quite beneficial though. If you feel as though living alone is not for you because you prefer company from time to time, you may want to consider a roommate. There are also many other pro’s to getting a roommate.

Pro’s Of Getting A Roommate

• Shared monthly expenses

• Increased personal savings due to shared expenses

• Roommates help reduce loneliness

• Shared responsibilities

A Pro of having a roommate is the splitting of the rent, Eversource  food, internet and renters insurance bills.  This will take a lot of financial burden off of yourself and allow both of you to save a bit more in your savings accounts. Obviously, you will both be working and have your own interests and friends but you can also hang out together and you won’t feel so alone while you are renting. Your roommate will also share in some responsibilities so all of the chores won’t solely land on you. You will each be responsible for your own rooms but you can then share cleaning duties of common spaces which will result in more free time since one person won’t be doing all of the cleaning all of the time.

All of these pro’s make it seem like a fantastic idea when you are considering getting a roommate but there are still some cons to the shared living idea.

Con’s Of Getting A Roommate

• Your space is not just your space anymore, now you are living with someone else and have to be courteous of their space

• You have to ensure your landlord doesn’t have a problem allowing to rentals in the same unit

• You will have to be accepting of guests your roommate has over and their unique quirks

Having a roommate does mean that you are living with someone. If you are more of a loner or if you have to have things a certain way all of the time you may not want to have a roommate. You have to be courteous of their own private space and accepting of any guests they bring into the home. You also have to make sure your landlord is ok with you bringing a tenant into your space that you are renting. Not all landlords are ok with their renters just randomly adding another renter into the residence.

Tips For Living With A Roommate
When you are living with a roommate remember to treat them as you would want to be treated. You have to be respectful of their space and boundaries but also have a firm set of rules so you know what each other expects of one another. You will also want to make sure all ground rules are established before your roommate moves in so that there isn’t any un clarity about cleaning, bills and other shared responsibilities.

Follow these guidelines:

• Communicate frequently and openly.  Talk through irritations before they become problems.

• You don’t have to hang out together all of the time. Good friends do not always make good roommates, and roommates do not always make good friends.

• Work out food sharing (or not sharing) plan.

• Respect each other’s finances, and make an explicit plan as to what, if any, finances will be shared.

• Communication is big, but compromise is bigger.  Be flexible.

• Wear headphones 🙂

It is also beneficial to set up a time each month where you and your roommate can sit and talk about any concerns or problems that either of you are having. Living with a roommate is like entering into a business transaction. You want to make sure that both you and your roommate are happy and rectify any problems you may be having.