Roommate Agreements: Should not be taken for Granted

By: Zack Fair
Submitted: 2008-06-09 11:35:43
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When you are getting a roommate for the first time, it is good to remember that you may not get along as well as you think that you should. By keeping this in mind, your roommate experience will be a lot better than if you don’t.  This is especially important if you don’t have any control over choosing your own roommate.  Once you and your roommate have met for the first time, you will both be on your best behavior, so judging on the compatibility will be more difficult. However, after a few weeks or months, you will both start to get comfortable and realize that the situation is far from perfect. In situations like this it is a good idea to make a roommate agreement.

A roommate agreement allows both roommates to sit down and discuss what rules they want followed in the apartment or room.  These rules can range anywhere from quiet times for sleeping and studying to who does what chores. By having these rules in place that you both agree to follow; your time together will be much more pleasant.

Some key things to remember when you are making a roommate agreement are to specify guidelines on company, chores, boundaries on personal property, and how to deliver telephone messages. The guideline for company can be very hard to compromise on. Especially if you like solitude and your roommate has a penchant for inviting loud friends over.  But by setting the guideline from the very beginning, many fights can be prevented. When it comes to chores, this is probably the biggest issue between roommates. Especially when it comes to cleaning since everyone has different cleaning standards. By delegating chores arguments can be prevented and your life won’t be disrupted because you are constantly fighting over dirty dishes. The boundaries for personal property will prevent your roommate from borrowing your things without asking. And by setting up a reliable system for dispersing telephone messages back and forth, you will prevent fights over not getting your messages.

Roommate agreements are becoming very common in colleges and universities. Most colleges and universities have freshmen stay in a dormitory to make the adaption to college easier. But because you aren’t in control of who your roommate will be, a roommate agreement helps to prevent many of the arguments that can come about from two people being forced to live together.

A roommate agreement is a way of maintaining the goodwill between roommates when you can not get along. By setting down rules and guidelines that both are willing to adhere to you can prevent many of the fights that roommates succumb to.

Zack Fair currently writes for Rental Markets Inc. that manages a Roommate Finder community website Getaroomie.com that serves as a roommate search engine as well as a community for people finding a room or roommates.

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    When you are getting a roommate for the first time, it is good to remember that you may not get along as well as you think that you should. By keeping this in mind, your roommate experience will be a lot better than if you don't. This is especially important if you don't have any control over choosing your own roommate.