Tips for Living with a Roommate

Renting an apartment with a roommate is a great opportunity to build a strong friendship while sharing the responsibilities of apartment life. Whether you move in with your best friend or let BLVD63’s roommate matching service find you the perfect living partner, communication is often the key to enjoying a positive experience with your roommate.

Divide Up Responsibilities

Keeping your apartment organized and clean will create a better living space for you and your roommate. One of the major benefits of living with a roommate is sharing regular cleaning tasks so you each have to do less work. Shortly after you move in, talk to your roommate about developing a list of tasks that need to be done and how often they should be completed. Also talk about your strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes—often the tasks you don’t like doing might not seem as bad to someone else. Divvy up cleaning tasks based on your strengths and likes whenever possible. Rotate tasks that neither of you prefer so no one person must perform a specific undesirable task all the time. By trading off the tasks you do and don’t like, you will both feel as though everyone is sharing the work equally.

Make Compromises

No two people are alike, but that doesn’t mean your differences must lead to a negative roommate situation. If you and your roommate prefer different levels of cleanliness, it’s important to discuss your desires and find a way to compromise. If you are the neater of the two, list just a few of your “must haves,” such as a clean shower, pantry, or sink. Alternatively, if your roommate prefers things neater than you do, be willing to compromise on her list of “must haves.” Divide apartment tasks up into cleaning and non-cleaning tasks; while the neater roommate can take care of the cleaning tasks, the other can perform non-cleaning tasks such as cooking, grocery shopping, and keeping bills and rent organized. Always remove bedrooms from the cleanliness equation altogether—each roommate should have some private space to keep however she likes, whether messy or neat. Instead, focus only on finding ways to keep your common areas at a level of cleanliness you both like.

Maintain Open Communication

One of the leading causes of roommate disputes is lack of communication. Talk to your roommate immediately if something is bothering you, rather than letting the situation build. Avoid texting or leaving notes to alert your roommate of a problem—speaking face to face is always better to avoid miscommunication. Consider holding weekly or monthly meetings so you can both air out grievances and find solutions together. Keeping an open line of communication can help to avoid misunderstandings and other issues that can lead to problems. If you do have trouble communicating or finding a solution for any issues, consider having a third party mediate to help you both reach an acceptable solution.

Are you looking for an apartment with a roommate in San Diego? BLVD63 offers furnished and unfurnished apartment spaces with optional RoomSync roommate matching services. Get ready to meet your new best friend and enjoy So-Cal living at its best in our spacious new apartment community designed with comfort and style in mind. Visit our website to check out our gallery and full list of amenities, or stop by for an in-person tour to find your new San Diego home.