Roommates
Questions to Ask a Potential Roommate
Ask practical questions before choosing a roommate: how bills get paid, what clean means, how guests work, and when the home gets quiet. Talk about schedules, noise, pets, smoking and shared groceries instead of personal characteristics. Meet in person or by video, check a past landlord reference, and be ready to answer the same questions yourself.
Why this helps
Most of the hard parts of sharing a home come down to daily habits. Asking about them first means you learn them now, not after the lease is signed. Keeping the talk about practical things keeps it fair too.
Do this
- Ask how bills get paid. Money talk is easier before anyone owes anything.
- Ask what clean means, how guests work, and when the home gets quiet. Everyone's idea of clean is a little different!
- Talk about schedules, noise, pets, smoking, and shared groceries. These are the everyday things that add up.
- Leave personal characteristics out of the questions. Stick to how you'll live together.
- Meet in person or by video. You'll get a real feel for each other.
- Check a past landlord reference. A past landlord knows what sharing a home with them was like.
- Be ready to answer the same questions yourself. It's a two way street.
Next step
Write your questions down, then trade answers with each other. If it goes well, great. If not, you just learned something helpful!