Picking a new housemate can be tough. When you are inviting a stranger to live in your home there’s the potential for all sorts of problems to arise if your personalities don’t match up. On the same token though, a new housemate could end up being your new best friend.
The best way to make sure that you end up living with somebody you’ll get along with is to think about the type of housemate you want. Do you want somebody your own age or who has a stable income? You may also just prefer to live with somebody who has similar beliefs to you or who is vegetarian or a non-smoker for example.
Once you have figured out what you want your housemate to be like then it’s important to write out a list of questions you would like to ask your candidates. Some things you might like to cover in your questions include: how the other person feels about delegating cleaning duties; how they wish to share food and other household items; whether or not they will have a partner or visitors over; and how they plan on paying the rent.
It’s important that you go over your ground rules and expectations before picking somebody to move in with you and likewise it’s important to know what your housemate will expect of you in return.
Overall it’s about asking the right questions and picking the type of person who will be suitable for you.
Choosing a new housemate is always a bit of a risk, but hopefully you end up living with a new friend and not a new foe.
Good luck!