Looking for a roommate to share your apartment and help pay living expenses can be a great experience or your biggest nightmare. It can be very hard to live with another person, their bad habits, their good habits and their behaviors. This is especially true if they are too much like you or not enough like you. Since roommates can range from one extreme to another, it is important that you know what you are looking for in a roommate before you start your actual roommate search.  

Tips for Finding the Perfect Roommate

First, you should sit down and make a list of the things that you are looking for in a roommate. Separate this list into two columns. One column should be the "must be" and the other column should be the "must not be." Under the "must be" column list all of the things that the roommate that you are looking for is required to have or required to be. In the "must not be" column list the things that would cause this person to be deleted as a roommate option. This sort of list will help you narrow down the types of people that you are willing to share your living space with.
 
Second, consider using a roommate finder service. There are many roommate finder services online that are free or very inexpensive. If you are a student at a college or university, many secondary schools offer a roommate matching service even for off-campus living. Post signs and flyers in the area where the apartment is located looking for a roommate. Be sure to ask people that you know for potential referrals for compatible roommates.

Third, wherever you find a potential roommate, be sure to conduct a very thorough background check on the person. There are online services that cost very little money to conduct this type of criminal background check. The cost of a background check will more than outweigh the price if you end up living with a thief or a psychotic person. Ask for past references of landlords or people that they lived with and check these references as well.
 
Fourth, conduct a very thorough interview with potential candidates. Spend some time with them in different situations and observe how they handle things. Ask very specific questions about their living habits, pet peeves, whether they are a morning or a night person. Take the time to get to know them and their personality and see if the two of you can stand being together.
 
By taking these steps and carefully evaluating potential roommates, you are sure to find a roommate that’s as close as possible to being perfect!