Living with a roommate for the first time is a huge life adjustment. The prospect of living with a stranger can be intimidating, but it shouldn’t be! Having a roommate can be an awesome experience – you could even find a new friend, or in some cases fall in love with your roommate! (Which, we admit, isn’t always an easy ride.)

Even though living with a roommate can be a great experience, it is important that the two of you communicate and set up ground rules. Your new roomi isn’t a mind reader, so they need to know what your boundaries are and what your living style is. Here are 7 tips and tricks for building a great relationship with your new roomi.

Communication is key if you wish to get along with your roommate.

Talk to one another! It’s super important to communicate with your new roommate about how you live and what you expect from them. It’s not healthy to keep thoughts bottled up for too long, so be sure to gently communicate your thoughts and feelings to them.

Discuss what you want to share

This is crucial! Make sure you set up ground rules for what you do and don’t want to share with your roommate. Communicate with them about whether you are willing to share food, kitchen appliances, etc or if you’d rather have your own things.

If you would rather your roommate not share your carton of milk, be sure to tell them! Try dedicating certain shelves in the fridge or pantry for each of your belongings so you don’t accidentally use each other’s groceries.

Your roommate won’t always be your best friend

Having a roommate can be a super fun experience. But, it’s also normal to not always get along with your roommate. Don’t feel pressured for your roomi to be your new best friend. Make sure that you and your roommate have your own space and alone time. Don’t feel like you need to hangout with your roommate 24/7; you each have your own lives and it is important to have your own personal space.

Tell each other about your living styles and habits

Make sure to communicate this! Since you’re going to be living with another person, it’s important to let them know your habits and living styles. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Do you like keeping your room clean or are you on the messy side? Be sure to let your roomi know about your living habits, so you know what to expect from each other.

By the way – if you are messy, this is the time to learn to clean up after yourself; you don’t want to turn into the roommate from hell!

Make sure to be open to compromise

Listen to your roomi and acknowledge their thoughts and feelings. Be open to the fact that your roommate is a different person than you, so there will be a need to compromise on some issues. Does your roomi go to bed early and prefer you to keep the noise down past 10? Respect your roommate’s living habits and be sure to be open to what your roommate wants from you, too.

Be respectful

Respect is key! Since you’re going to be sharing a living space with another person, you need to respect their personal space and living habits. Treat your new roomie how you would want to be treated. Having friends over one night? Be respectful and make sure to check with your roommate to see if they’re okay with that. It’s their home too!

Create a roommate agreement

This is an awesome way to lay out what each of your rules and expectations is for one another. Creating a roommate agreement can be a helpful tool in figuring out what each of you is okay with. Set aside some time with your roomi to create an agreement and talk about what you each expect from one another.

D’you know what else Roomi does outside of helping its readers find new ways of getting along with their roommate? With our ever-increasing lists of rooms and roommates across the world, we help you find your perfect match! Download the app here and hop on the easiest ride home, ever!