Looking for a new roommate can be a strenuous process, especially knowing what questions to ask them. The process of finding a roommate is like speed dating. You meet up or talk on the phone, and try to get to know each other. You ask each other questions about their lifestyle, what they do, etc. Finding a roommate takes time, but it’s important to find one you’re compatible with because it will save you a lot of potential problems in the future. When you’re living with someone and sharing almost everything, you want to be careful with who you choose. Sometimes choosing your best friend isn’t the best idea. You may get along well but living with someone is very different.
Here are some ideas for questions you should ask a potential roommate:
1.What are you looking for in a roommate?
Learning what their expectations are will give you a sense of what is important to them. What they expect from you, you should expect from them.
2. What do you do for a living?
A person’s career can give you insight into what they like to do, how much they make and whether they can hold up their side of the lease.
3. Do you like entertaining?
Nothing wrong with entertaining, but if you’re a quiet person who works early mornings and needs to go to bed early, your roommate throwing a party will definitely lead to some conflict.
4. What do you do on weekends?
Do they hang out around the house all the time watching TV and eating snacks? Do they leave town and go on road trips? Are they workaholics? What kind of roommate do you want?
5. How often do you usually clean?
Having your own place means upkeep. If your roommate isn’t willing to at least clean the areas you share, then you may want a new roommate. While everyone should do their fair share of work, not all roommates will agree with that.
6. Do you drink and/or smoke?
In my opinion, this question is extremely important. If you don’t smoke, then you may want a roommate who feels the same way. Being stuck in a house with someone smoking all day will result in you getting second-hand smoke. I guarantee your rooming situation will change immediately if you disagree with smoking and non-smoking. However, if your potential roommate answers yest to this question, it is a reasonable request to ask for a non-smoking household. They can smoke outside. For drinking, this can be a tough one. Most people will probably say yes because they have a beer here and there. However, others may say yes but not tell you how often they drink. Sometimes drinking can become an issue if they show up drunk at night, or even in the morning, make loud noises, constantly bringing people over, etc..
7. Are you currently in a relationship?
If your roommate says yes, I suggest following up with a question about whether his or her partner will be over constantly. Nothing wrong with a few visits, but if your roommate’s significant other is constantly living at your place, it could become a bigger issue.
8. When do you typically wake up and go to bed (weekdays and weekends)?
Having your roommate get up at 7:00 am on the weekends and you getting up at 1:00 pm… this could become a problem. If your roommate makes too much noise while you’re sleeping, then conflict will arise.
9. Do you sleep with the window open or closed?
Too cold, too hot? Too much street noise? Potential security risk?
10. What was your previous rooming situation like (if any)?
If they have had previous problems, they will probably talk about them. Things that may have bothered them, what they liked, etc. This could give you more insight into the person.