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| "moving II" by Robert S. Donovan is licensed under CC BY 2.0 |
Apartment hunting is tricky when it’s just you involved; but when you move with your roommate to a new place, it has the potential to be even more complicated. Compromise is key if you value this person as a roommate. Consider these tips from Apartment Guide as you search for your next apartment.
Agreeing on a new place
When you’re looking for an apartment, the first thing to consider is always the same: Location, location, location. If you and your roommate attend the same school or work in the same area, it should be easy enough to decide on a general vicinity in which to start your apartment search.
If you work or attend school in different parts of town, though, things get a little trickier. Get out a map and decide on a good midpoint between your destinations. How far is too far to drive every day? If one person has to drive farther, who should it be, and is that person OK with it? Make those decisions before you even start looking at apartments.
Once the location is settled, decide what you want in an apartment. How manybedrooms and bathrooms do you want? What’s the limit to how much you’ll pay per month? Do you have pets to consider? Keep all this in mind to decide on the type of apartment that’ll work for both of you.
Know the difference between necessities and luxuries. If you’d like a third bedroom in your new place for a guest room or multipurpose room, great. But if you can’t find a three-bedroom place that meets all your other criteria, is it a dealbreaker? You might not find a place that’s perfect, but you do need to find one that meets your most basic criteria. Everything on top of that is negotiable.
Above all else, be sensitive to the needs and wants of your roommate as well as your own. Remember, he or she has to live there, too.
Splitting up moving costs
Once you and your roommate have agreed on a new place, it’s time for the awkward part: Talking about money.
The only fair way to do it is to split all the moving costs equally, right down the middle. If you and your roommate want to work out another system – maybe one of you makes more money than the other, and you think it’s better for that person to pay more – you can work that out, but make sure you’re both in agreement before anyone writes any checks.
Keep in mind the following costs:
Deposit on the new place
Any lingering costs at the old place
Moving supplies: boxes, bubble wrap, tape, etc.
Renting a truck
Hiring movers (or buying pizza for your friends if you decide to enlist their help)
Signing a lease
Whose name goes on the apartment lease? Well, that depends on how the lease is set up.
Some apartment communities allow two people to put their names on the lease; others require one person to step up. Having good credit and a reliable income will go a long way in ensuring you get the apartment you want.
If you’re the one who signs the lease, remember that you’ll be held responsible. It’ll be your responsibility to write the checks each month and drop them off at the office. And if any rent goes unpaid, the person on the hook for that money is you, not your roommate.
If you’re keeping your roommate when you move to a new apartment, hopefully you’ll have worked out all your money issues already, and you can keep your good system working in the new place.
What other tips would you offer to make the move with a roommate easier?
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