by
Lauren
9. June 2010 21:02
After renting apartments for four years in Gainesville, I have definitely learned the hard way that picking your future roommate(s) is not a simple task. I’ve rented apartments with complete strangers, friends of friends, my best friend, party animals, intense studiers, neat freaks and total slobs. It isn’t always easy to know what it will be like to live with someone before moving into your apartment.
Being honest about the kind of person you are, and expecting the same from a potential roommate, may help to make moving in together a lot less stressful, especially since you will be sharing a floor plan! While no one really wants to admit they are super messy, it’s not fair to hide that information from the person you are going to rent an apartment with. Many Gainesville, FL apartments will help you with roommate matching services or questionnaires. Honesty leads to my next point: communication!
Keeping the lines of communication open between you and your new roommate will make sharing an apartment ten times easier! Everyone has their own ways of doing things, so working together to create a chore chart or grocery list might be helpful in maintaining your apartment’s common living spaces and making sure everyone knows what chores they should be doing, when rent is due, etc..
Last, while renting with a good friend may sound like the best idea ever, it’s important to realize that everyone needs their own space, and respecting each other’s space is an important part of sharing an apartment with someone. It’s also important to respect your roommate’s possessions and ask before borrowing!
Remembering these things when looking for and deciding on your next roommate will definitely make renting your Gainesville, FL apartment way easier, so that you can really enjoy your future home.