By: Rebekah Glum
As this year is coming to a close, it means that it’s time to get excited for next year! After sharing a washroom with 15+ other people, it may be sad to leave, but there will be some perks. However, the process of choosing a place to live, and roommates, comes with its own trials.
Things to consider when choosing roommates
- How many people are you okay living with? Does the idea of constantly having 5 of your best friends around appeal to you? Or is lots of personal space, and one person to drink tea and watch Netflix with on cozy days more your jam?
- What is important to you in a household? Make sure to consider everything, from how often you think is appropriate to clean the washroom, to whether you are okay with sharing milk and eggs.
Things to talk about once you’ve decided who to live with
- One of the most important things is to have a system for addressing any issues that come up. It’s very unlikely that there won’t be some tension, and the best way to make sure that tension doesn’t change into a deal breaker is to have a way to address it. Some good ideas: have a weekly roommate check-in; have a rule that if you don’t bring tension up, you let it go once a couple days/couple weeks have gone by; or have a code word for when you need to have a roommate talk.
- Write a roommate contract. Anyone who lived in a double room knows what I’m talking about. You can find examples online, and this can cover everything from a cleaning schedule, guest policies, and more. Bonus points if you have household quiet hours!
Places to look for housing
- Craigslist
- Kijiji
- AMS Rentsline
- Padmapper
Also, make sure to check out the poster in Commonsblock about finding off-campus housing.
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