During your college experience, more likely than not, you’re going to have to live with roommates — or, at least, it’s something you most definitely want to consider. That said, choosing a roommate and coexisting in a space with another person aren’t easy or straightforward things to do.

When it goes right, a roommate is an amazing thing! However, when roommate relationships are contentious, a whole slew of issues can arise. From simply not enjoying being at home to small claims court lawsuits (in the absolute worst case scenario), there are plenty of issues you want to work to avoid when it comes to your roommates and housing.

In today’s blog, Aggieland Apartment Finders is going to be sharing some helpful tips and information about finding and living with roommates when you’re attending Texas A&M.

Keep reading to learn more!

Finding Your Roommate

The first step of arranging your perfect living situation is determining whether or not you need a roommate, and then finding your roommate. If you’re able to live on your own, that’s a great thing! But for many people, roommates are essential for making rent affordable, and simply having a companion to enjoy your living space. But, how do you go about choosing a roommate? Here are a few tips.

How Well Do You Know Your Roommate?

First, consider your options for roommates — how well do you know them? Are your daily schedules similar? Do you have similar interests? Are you going to be doing most things together, or are you looking to live with someone that you can share a space with, but that you don’t have to worry about constantly hanging out with? These are (just a few of) the questions that you should be asking yourself when considering roommates.

Hopefully, you already know the answers to these questions, but if not, that simply means you need to get to know your potential roommate(s) better! The best thing to do is sit down and have a candid conversation about these topics, as well as any other living topics you feel strongly about. From having pets to how you’d like to use spaces, you want to understand your wants and needs in regard to your rental property and roommates. Again — we can’t stress this enough — clear up these topics and set expectations BEFORE choosing a roommate. This way you can get the difficult conversations out of the way and ensure a smooth living experience.

Understanding Your Lease And Schedule

When you rent a property, you have to pay an agreed-upon amount over the course of your lease agreement. This does not change, regardless of who is in the rental. This is why it’s important to understand your roommate and what you’re both planning for the course of your lease. For instance, you don’t want to be sharing an apartment with someone who is going to be leaving six months into a 12-month lease! Or, if you will be experiencing a situation where that’s happening, you need to ensure that your roommate is making arrangements to ensure their half of rent is paid, whether they’re taking care of it or they’ve lined up a replacement renter to take up the space.

If your roommate leaves without making arrangements, you’re stuck paying their rent. And, if you got a roommate to split rent in the first place, this is the last thing you want! What’s more, even if your roommate plans to leave, make sure that you have a complete understanding of what your lease allows and how you must go about managing roommates.

Are you both on the lease? Do you lease the rental and sublease to your roommate(s)?

Finally, when it is time for your roommate to leave — whether that’s when your lease is ending or when they’ve agreed to leave — make sure that they fulfill their exit expectations. For instance, they need to clean up after themselves, deal with any damage they may have caused to the space, and, more or less, leave it better than they found it upon move in. Again, if your roommate skips town or leaves you with loads of messes and damage, that will likely be your responsibility, unless you prepare beforehand. This is why it’s important to understand your lease, what it requires, and what your roommate and yourself are planning for the coming year.

Maintaining Good Roommate Relationships And Dealing With Bad Ones
Once you’ve found a roommate, the next step is living with them! If you put the work in to choosing your roommate, you’ll be much more likely to thrive during the course of your living together. We can’t stress this enough! By understanding your roommate, how they live, and both of your expectations, you can set yourself up for success.

And once you’re living together, there are a few things that you can do to keep the waters calm and your apartment a lovely place to be!

Communication Is Key

First, make sure you’re communicating with each other. From communicating when it’s time to do chores to simply keeping tabs on how the both of you are doing, the more in touch you are with each other, the better your relationship is going to be — this goes for all of your relationships in life!

Everyone has a story about passive-aggressive roommates that were a pain to live with, and while chances are you’ll deal with passive-aggressive people in your life, passive aggression is something you can avoid with communication. For instance, if you’re upset that dishes aren’t being done by your roommate or that they’re eating your leftovers, have a conversation with them! Don’t leave snarky notes or make passive-aggressive comments, because that just creates tension and makes people upset! And on the other hand, if you’re experiencing passive-aggressive behavior from your roommate, ask what’s wrong and why they’re upset!

While it may be uncomfortable at first, doing this will make your roommate situation a lot more healthy, and it’s a skill that will help you in a variety of other life areas.

Beyond communicating about things in your apartment, regularly communicate with your roommate! While your roommate doesn’t need to be your best friend, or even someone you hang out with every day, by keeping up-to-date on what’s going on with each of you will improve your relationship, and can even help you coordinate schedules.

Cooperate

When living with anyone, whether it’s a college roommate, your family, or even a significant other, you need to work together to have the best quality of life. Coordinate chores, grocery/household essentials shopping, and other things essential for living in a space to ensure the load is being equally distributed and that your space is clean, stocked with what you need, and comfortable overall!

When Things Go Wrong

Finally, if you’re dealing with roommate issues, understand your resources! From mediation sessions to small claims court, there are protections and systems in place to help fix a rocky roommate relationship.

If you need to find a rental in Bryan or College Station, work with Aggieland Apartment Finders today!