Are you thinking about getting a roommate but aren’t sure if it would be a good idea? Well, you can’t predict the future but you can definitely plan for it by consulting our carefully compiled list of questions to ask potential roommates during the interview process.
Renting an apartment or house all by yourself can be quite expensive, especially if you have just moved to another city for your studies or had to relocate because of your job. Although sharing your living space with another person is not easy by any means, finding a roommate can really reduce your expenses and help you survive on a shoestring budget.
Choosing the right roommate is extremely important. You need to make sure they will pay rent on time, keep the place clean, won’t interfere in your business, and put it simply, won’t make life difficult for you.
Here are a few important potential roommate questions that will reveal a lot about their personality, lifestyle, and habits.
Top Questions to Ask Potential Roommates
These are some of the most crucial roommate screening questions that you should ask before signing any agreement.
- What do you do for a living?
- What is your normal schedule?
- What are your cleaning habits?
- Have you ever had any problem paying the rent by the due date?
- Do your friends and family members come over often?
- Do you have any pets?
- Do you smoke?
- Do you have any allergies or food restrictions?
- How often do you cook?
- How do you feel about sharing?
- What do you expect out of a roommate?
- What would your former landlord and/or roommate say about you?
What do you do for a living?
This is one of the most important questions to ask a roommate as it will give you a clear idea if they will be able to pay their rent on time. A prospect with a stable job will be able to provide for their portion of the utility bills as well, otherwise, you would end up paying more than your fair share.
In case the person you are interviewing is currently looking for a job, inquiring about their former employers and education will give you a good idea if they are serious with their job search or if you need to look for another candidate.
What is your normal schedule?
This is also one of the top things to ask a potential roommate. You should know if the person you’d be sharing your space with has odd work hours, if they often stay late at work, and most importantly if they work from home all the time.
While it is not mandatory for roommates to have matching schedules, things can get pretty tough if they are unable to accommodate each other. Therefore, it is recommended to discuss your typical schedules with each other right away to avoid any unpleasant conversations later down the road.
Furthermore, apart from asking about their workday routine, you should also inquire about their weekend schedule. Of course, you shouldn’t ask them to divulge private information, but you should have some idea if they like to invite their friends over during the weekend, spend the entire day out, etc.
What are your cleaning habits?
Sharing an apartment or house means you will also need to share the responsibilities of keeping it clean and spotless. If you are an extremely neat person, you must make sure your prospective roommate doesn’t turn out to be messy. Similarly, if you don’t like to clean often, the other person should know from the start what they are getting into. It’s important to be on the same page when it comes to sensitive topics like personal hygiene and cleanliness.
In case you don’t feel comfortable asking your prospective roommate if they take cleaning chores seriously, here are a few ways you can rephrase your question:
- Do you like to clean and organize your room on a daily basis or leave those chores for the weekend?
- How often do you like to do your laundry?
- Do you prefer washing the dishes immediately after using them or leave them for later?
- Do you have any housekeeping pet peeves I should know about?
- What are your thoughts on having a weekly chore chart?
This is among the most crucial questions to ask before moving in with a friend as well.
Have you ever had any problem paying the rent?
If you are unclear about ‘what to look for in a roommate,’ the first answer would be their ability to pay their rent on time – especially if you live in a major city like Islamabad, Lahore or Karachi, where rents are relatively higher than other parts of the country.
One of the most important housemate interview questions includes asking them about their ability to pay rent by the due date every month. Granted, you probably won’t be able to know about their rent payment pattern until they move in, but it is recommended to ask this question beforehand instead of having any clashes or arguments a few months later.
Do your friends and family members come over often?
It is important to set some boundaries before making any decisions. Ask your prospective roommate if their family members will be visiting them frequently, and more importantly, will they be staying at your place overnight. The same goes for friends and acquaintances.
In case your family members visit you pretty often and stay over for a few days, you must let them know about it during the interview. It is extremely important to have a few loose rules in place regarding matters involving friends and family. Therefore, make sure to include this question in your list of things to ask a potential roommate.
Do you have any pets?
Whether you love pets or abhor them, this question must be at the top of your roommate questionnaire. If you have a furry friend scurrying about your apartment, ask your prospective roommate if they would be okay with it. On the other hand, if you don’t like animals or are allergic to them, ask the person you are interviewing if they have a pet or if they are planning to get one later.
Of course, having pets such as fish or turtles won’t have much of an impact on the cleanliness of your home – given their tanks are cleaned on a regular basis. However, having a cat or a dog running around your house might cause a few problems if even one of the roommates is not okay with it.
On a side note, here are some tips on how to make your home more pet friendly.
Do you smoke?
This can be a huge deal-breaker for a lot of people, making it one of the most imperative roommate screening questions.
If you are one of those people who can’t stand the smell of cigarette smoke, you should be clear about it during the interview. Unless your prospective roommate is comfortable smoking outside the house or doesn’t smoke at all, you may have to reconsider your option.
Obviously, this goes both ways. If you smoke inside the house, you must make sure to inform the candidate about your habit so they can figure out if it works for them.
Do you have any allergies or food restrictions?
Another one of the top questions to ask potential roommates include inquiring about their diet restrictions and food allergies.
It is recommended to ask a prospective roommate if they have an aversion towards certain food items, follow a restricted diet, or if they have any allergies you should know about. Not only is that polite, but would also keep you from accidentally making them fall ill by exposing them to something they can have an allergic reaction to.
Asking about food restrictions due to cultural and religious beliefs must also be added to your roommate questionnaire.
How often do you cook?
In small apartments, sharing a kitchen can be a source of strain. If your prospective roommate likes to cook on a daily basis or at least a few times a week, you would most likely need to schedule your cooking and meal-prep time accordingly. Not to mention, you will also have to set up some ground rules regarding stocking up the pantry, doing dishes, cleaning the fridge, and using each other’s utensils, among others.
A lot of people don’t add ‘cooking in the kitchen’ to their roommate compatibility checklist, which can be a huge mistake and cause arguments later on.
How do you feel about sharing?
Sharing is a must-discuss topic when it comes to interviewing a roommate. Living in the same space, you might end up using each other’s belongings from time to time. However, if you are not comfortable with sharing and would like to keep your belongings only to yourself, it is recommended to make this clear upfront and ask the other person to do the same.
This will also help you figure out if they will be comfortable with sharing household responsibilities.
What do you expect out of a roommate?
One of the other important questions to ask potential roommates includes inquiring about their future expectations. Asking about what they are looking for in a roommate will help you determine if they would like to be friends or have minimal interaction with the rest of the people living there.
Not everyone is looking for a best friend, which is something you should respect and vice versa.
Similarly, be very clear about your expectations out of a roommate as well.
What would your previous landlord and/or roommate say about you?
Last but not the least, don’t forget to ask about their relationship with their former landlord or roommate.
Of course, not everyone would have a stellar friendship with their previous landlord and/or roommate, but their answer would give you a clear indication of whether they were on good terms or not. However, you should also not rely too much on this. Instead, consider asking for reference letters from their colleagues or previous neighbours.
That brings an end to our list of questions for roommates. If you have any more ideas for housemate interview questions that will help you find the best roommates, feel free to share them with us by dropping an email on blog@zameen.com.
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