How do you go about getting a roommate?

[zanana1]

I may soon have to get a roommate to share my house with. I don't make enough alone to pay the mortgage. Those of you who have shared a house with someone you were not related to or having a romantic relationship with, how did you go about selecting a roommate? Did you use any services to look into their background? What kinds of questions did you ask them and, finally, how long did it take you to find someone?

[tk2kewl]

Try checking with the registrar at one of your local colleges

most colleges have some sort of quasi-official way of listing your property for student access only. I had decent experience with that in a previous life.

[zanana1]

2. I'm 59.

I don't think I'd want a college kid as a roommate.

[tk2kewl]

5. i would give that more thought

i have rented rooms and property on and off over my adult life and my experience is that college-aged kids (in school or not) actually make for pretty good tenants. you can usually get a parent to cosign any lease or rental agreement as well. older more seasoned people often have learned how far they can push landlords. and if you are renting a room you can make the rules. a young lady who is not permitted overnight guests and has her father cosigning the agreement might be easier than you think.

[alphafemale]

1. We've always used Craigslist.

My boyfriend rents out a room and renter has "near" exclusive use of bathroom.

[charlie and algernon]

3. I've only done this from the other side

I've never had a house where I was looking for a roommate, but whenever I need a new apartment I usually look at craigslist. If you do that route, be as detailed as possible. Describe what in the house is available to the roommate, including common areas, if the room available is furnished or not, if pets are allowed and what kind. Include pictures. Also make clear what the rent is, if there's a security deposit, and what kind of lease you're looking for (month to month or a year long lease).

It also helps to say what kind of person you are (i.e. likes to party, likes it quiet, away at work all the time, etc) and if you're looking for only either male or female roommates, or if gender doesn't matter.

In other words, make it so someone looking at craigslist has a good idea what they're getting into should they decide to contact you for more information.

[zanana1]

4. Thanks for that info.

It helps.

[applegrove]

6. My brother puts ads up at the local university. He interviews people. So far so good and he has been

doing it for a decade.

[Major Nikon]

7. A guy I work with used roommates dot com

He speaks highly of the site. He's showed me how it works and it seems to be structured pretty well towards finding the right person to match up with. There seems to be a lot of listings so I'm guessing it must be pretty popular.