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Roommate Financials and Personality

Once you narrow the scope of your roommate search from a large pool to a few potential candidates by using roommate finding services, it’s time to weigh your options. While free people finders are ideal for supplying a list of possibilities, a successful roommate search requires some detailed targeting on your part.

When its time to choose between possible roomies, you’ll need a more detailed picture of their financial status and personality beyond what is available through a free person finder. Remember, a roommate search is a business arrangement. Don’t be afraid to ask for information out of fear of offending the other person. You both have a right to ask for and receive an accurate picture of each other in addition to information supplied by a free person finder before committing to anything.

1. Get personal references – Ask for and check out personal references. You want to get a picture of how a potential roommate handles themselves in any type of relationship. Use references to get an impression of your potential roommate’s communication style and how they handle conflict. Find out how long they have known your roommate. It’s important to consider this type of information to get an idea of your compatibility as roommates.

2. Get financial references – While you probably don’t need to review bank statements or tax returns, a successful roommate search does require a clear picture of your roommate’s financial habits. By checking financial references, such as former landlords, former roommates or people that have had some type of financial arrangement with your potential roommate, you can get an idea of how they handle their money. Find out if they have a history of late payments, missed payments or bounced checks.

3. Credit report - For a more detailed picture of your roommate’s financial status, you may want to ask for their credit report as part of your roommate search. Some landlords require a full credit check beforehand, but depending upon your living arrangement, this may or may not be something you need from a new roomie. Keep in mind that, there will naturally be more information available regarding on a potential roommate that has had time to establish a credit history than one fresh from college, for example.

4. Verify employment – It is important to know your potential roomie is able to assume their share of the financial responsibilities for living together. Before bringing your roommate search to a close, make sure they not only have a source of employment, but that it is stable. Ask for pay stubs to verify current employment, and if possible, proof of length of employment at their current job.

Roommate Financial Responsibility
While using a totally free roommate service and interviewing potential roommates can greatly simplify finding a compatible person to live with, sharing housing is also a financial arrangement and needs to be treated as such. Even the most compatible roommates need to work out the financial considerations of living together; everything from specifying the rent in a roommate lease agreement to how to pay for monthly utilities and food.

Money can be a source of contention if not faced head on. Before you and a potential roommate set up house, it is just as important to set out the financial terms of your arrangement as it is to outline behavioral expectations in list of housemate rules.

Money considerations
• Rent/Mortgage – This is possibly the biggest expense for you and your roommate. Don’t be afraid to ask for credit history information and financial references when interviewing potential roommates. You have the right to make an informed decision about possible roommates to protect yourself from the risk of carrying a financial burden or facing legal issues if they have financial issues.
The amount for which each of you is responsible, as well as the due date, must be stated clearly in your roommate lease agreement, as well as a lease with your landlord or mortgage with your bank.

• Utilities – Depending upon your housing, utilities may be covered in your rent. If that is not the case, specify the level of responsibility you each carry for utilities in your roommate lease agreement. If you are bringing a roommate into your residence, let them know the average monthly cost for utilities, so there are no surprises down the road for either of you.

• Phone – Covering the cost of phone service can be problematic if the terms are not set in advance. In a perfect world, the bill is split equally and that is the end of it. An argument can be made, however, that if one roommate uses the phone primarily, they should assume more of its cost. Reviewing every call on the phone bill and assigning the charge to one person is an argument just waiting to happen. If you are unable to agree on fair housemate rules about the phone, it may be better for each of you to use a cell phone instead.

• Food/Household Goods – This can be another source of friction if not addressed from the start. There are two possible options to handling responsibility for the cost of food or household items; equal division or buy and use your own things. What ever solution works best for you, specify it in your housemate rules.

Article Source: http://www.ebaykings.co.uk

Bill Hinson is the CEO of Rental Markets Inc. managing a free roommate finding service Getaroomie.com that serves as a roommate search engine as well as a community for people finding a room or www.getaroomie.com/posting-roommate-needed.htm">roommates.

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