About to move in with a new roomie? You might want to avoid these mistakes!
Ah, the perils of flocking the nest. Whether it is for college or work, moving out into your own apartment is never a doddle. And if you’re one of those who’s just starting out, chances are you won’t have enough money to live by yourself.
And thus, in comes a roommate, who’s more or less likely to be in the same precarious position as you are. While there’s no way to predict if the two of you will hit it off, there are certain precautionary measures you must take for a smoother transition nonetheless. One of them, by the way, is not committing these common mistakes we’ve listed below!
Not Establishing Ground Rules
If you’ve found a roommate you’re willing to move in with, the first thing you must do to avoid any form of disagreement is to establish ground rules.
Is smoking indoors allowed? Who’s allowed to stay over and who’s not? What’s the allocation of the chores like? What date is the rent due?
There’s no point delaying it till after you move in because then you can’t turn back. So if you ask us, to avoid future altercations, it’d be wise to seek clarification from the get go.
Not Being Clear About The Payments
And we just don’t mean the rent — that bit is obvious. The mistake would be to not discuss the other forms of bills — the likes of electricity, water, house-help, and so on.
While those must be split 50-50, our recommendation would be to have a separate grocery account. If one’s a glutton and the other barely eats, or if one’s a vegetarian and the other regularly orders meat, it’d be unfair to split the bills evenly and could cause issues later.
Buying Furniture Instead Of Renting It
Hypothetically, say you end up buying furniture with your roommate. Not only do you invest a ton of money into a product whose value is bound to depreciate, but if you plan to move apartments, your can’t exactly split a sofa in half.
Subscribing to renting is not just a smart way to do away with those woes, but for a small price every month, it allows you do up your house just the way you want. With services like free delivery and installation, Rentomojo has a terrific range of furniture and essentials that you can find here.
Not Being Flexible
We’re not saying you have to bend over backwards, but being fastidious isn’t going to help anyone’s cause either.
Make a few compromises along the way. Adjust a little, help him out if you must, and before you know it, he will follow your example.
Not Communicating
Lastly, communication is vital for any relationship to flourish — let alone one where you’ll be making a home together.
Set up a weekly meeting to discuss household matters, which should include payment of bills, division of household chores, and of course, a discussion about whether or not you’d like anything to change. Be open, be honest, and you should be good to go!
We hope that helped, and if it did, know that we have a lot more exciting posts coming up. Until then, follow us on :
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