In today’s technological age, looking for a potential roommate means logging into a couple of apps to up your chances of finding your soul roommate. But before that, you need to know how to get around to meeting new people (and eventually your potential roommate!) and getting to know them before you tell them to make themselves at home.
You wonder if it’s going to get awkward. Should you serve wine and cheese or is it too early for that? You wonder whether a couple of beers would break the ice right? The trick here is to have a list of set questions to ask potential roommates.
Whatever you’re thinking, we know when people are looking for roommates, they need to have a strong background check in place to make sure they let the right people in their home. So here’s a bunch of potential roommate questions you should ask before saying yes.
40 Questions To Ask Potential Roommate Before Saying Yes
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Most importantly, just be yourself and ask all questions important to your own well being. But also remember to be prepared to answer the questions you ask, for it to feel like a healthy conversation.
Lifestyle
Asking about your roommate’s lifestyle begs the question: How could it possibly affect you whether they like to stay home or go out on the weekends, right? (Unless you’re an antisocial mouse of course.)
But well, these potential roommate questions are important to get to know them better and to get a feel of what it’s like if you decide to live with them. If they have a large circle of friends that they host every weekend, your personal space could be affected, if that’s not something you like doing on the weekends.
On the other hand, if they happen to mention the exact same things you like to do, then you’d know you’ve found the one, potentially!
- What do your weekends look like? How about during the weekdays?
- What do you do for work? Do you work from home?
- Do you have a regular exercise routine? Or practice any sports?
- What’s your worst habit?
- Do you smoke or do drugs? How often?
- Do you have any allergies or dietary restrictions?
- Do you have any pets? Plans to get any pets?
- How often do you travel?
- Do you prefer a quiet and calm living environment or are you comfortable with occasional gatherings or parties?
- How often do you cook at home?
Sleeping schedule & cleaning habits
Understanding the habits and preferences of your potential roommate when it comes to their sleeping schedule and their approach to tidiness can be pivotal in ensuring a harmonious and comfortable co-living situation. It’s often beneficial to navigate these discussions with a sense of openness, starting from a place of personal sharing. For instance, you might consider initiating the conversation by candidly discussing your own cleaning behavior, which could naturally lead to a dialogue about what cleanliness means in your daily life.
By doing so, not only do you set a tone of transparency and vulnerability, but you also provide a safe space for your prospective roommate to share their cleaning standards and expectations.
Discussing something as personal as cleaning habits can be delicate; however, framing it within the context of your own experiences and values tends to make the conversation feel less like an interrogation and more like a collaborative effort to ensure both you and your roommate can enjoy a clean, organized home that meets both of your needs.
Just keep in mind that not everyone will be a neat freak, and not everyone is a slob either. What you should be looking for is the sweet spot in the middle.
- What conditions do you require to sleep?
- What time do you generally wake up and go to bed?
- How do you think we should handle household chores? Like cleaning the common areas?
- How would you describe your feelings towards cleaning? Are you messy or neat?
- What household chore do you like the least?
Privacy & boundaries
Establishing boundaries is important in any kind of relationship. Most especially with potential roommates, you should have an open discussion on what privacy and sharing means to the both of you.
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Take a look at these privacy questions to ask potential roommates that will eventually lead to a peaceful household in the future (hopefully!).
- Do you have any references?
- How do you feel about sharing stuff (aside from expenses), like kitchen and cleaning equipment?
- What are your deal breakers? Do you have any pet peeves?
- What do you feel about visitors or guests in the apartment? Do you like having friends over?
- What are your feelings about overnight guests?
- Are you in a romantic relationship?
- Do you prefer to have separate storage spaces for our own food or do you want to share a common pantry?
Financial responsibilities
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A bolder way to put any financial question to ask your potential roommates would be, can I be assured the rent will come on time? This one’s a major ask, so make sure you put it the best way possible. It’s also important to address any questions about splitting and sharing to avoid any conflict that can happen in the future.
- How much is your rent now?
- What do you think is the best way to handle paying rent and utilities?
- In situations where a roommate might be facing financial difficulties, how would you handle it?
- Are you interested in sharing groceries and cooking meals together occasionally?
- Have you ever paid rent late before? If yes, why and how did you make up for it?
- Can you put down a deposit?
Room and roommate expectations
Yes, people looking for roommates, it’s time to ask about the ‘ex.’ Just like a potential or current significant other refusing to talk about their past is a major red flag, it’s the same with a potential roommate. Because if they’re cordial and easy to live with, they’ll have a couple of good stories, and some funny ones, and maybe even some challenging ones to share.
But if all they talk about are bad experiences, or if they shy away from the question, it could be a potential red flag that you should definitely watch out for. Try and be as diplomatic as you can when you go for these types of questions to ask potential roommates.
- Have you had a roommate before?
- How was your experience living with others? What did you like and dislike about it?
- Are you still friends or in contact with your former roommates?
- What are you looking for in a potential roommate?
- Is it important to know your neighbors?
- Who gets the biggest room when moving in?
- How long do you plan to stay?
Communication styles
It’s important to ask your potential roommate about how they go about confrontations or conflicts in the apartment. Do they tend to leave passive-aggressive notes? or do they prefer to talk things out face-to-face? With this information, you’ll be able to gauge if you’ll work things out should a conflict happen.
Once you’ve asked the major questions you wanted to ask, let them have a go at describing what they’re looking for too. Listen carefully and try to really understand what they’re saying when they’re talking about their choice of potential roommates.
And now like any other interview, once you’ve had a good chat, let them break free from your questions. Ask them what else they’d like for you to know, or what they’d like to know about you.
- What’s your confrontation style?
- Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? Do you think it’s important to interact with each other every day?
- Do you tend to leave notes?
- Are you more of a text or call person?
- Anything else I should know about you?
Next Question: Where Can I Find Roommates?
With a ready list of questions to ask potential roommates, the next step is: where and how do I find roommates? Simple, with Roomi!
Source: Roomi
Roomi is a room and roommate finder, complete with security and privacy measures, that can help you find what you’re looking for without hassle. The app has a wide variety of listings and user profiles across the globe that can make your roommate searching journey simple. Roomi uses a roommate matchmaking algorithm to that matches you with the most appropriate user according to their profiles.
More than that, Roomi conducts background checks by Garbo™ and ID verification to avoid any potential fraud or scam to its users. It also makes use of GlobalID, a digital identity platform that protects your data and at the same time, verifies your identity. To top it all off, Roomi offers a safe in-app messaging feature to keep all conversations with potential roommates protected in the app.
Roomi is complete with various features for room and roommate finding and takes its users’ privacy seriously. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up today and start the search for your potential roommate with Roomi!
