Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm moving from my college this December with ~$2k, with another $500 and $4500 coming in late January. Considering I'll be working for minimum wage-$10/hour, I won't have work lined up before I arrive, and I'm okay with that since I'll have a pretty nice nest egg.
Anyhow, my budget (pre-utilities) is $475/month. I'd really like to get my own studio or 1 bedroom apartment, and I know this is totally possible in cities like Oklahoma City and Louisville, both of which I like.
At the same time, becoming someone's short-term roommate in THEIR house/apartment sounds nice because it offers me more flexibility if I decide the place isn't for me after all. And I'm kind of afraid that will happen, because I moved over 40x as a kid, lived in 6 states and 3 countries, went to 13 different schools, and in other words, was constantly on the move. The longest I've stayed in any one place is 10 months.
That said, becoming someone's roommate does NOT sound enticing because of the financial liabilities involved. Time and time again I've seen people get screwed over by having a roommate, on the lease or not. My parents screwed over EVERY single landlord/roommate they ever had, without fail. It happened to my best friend, too, along with some others, nevermind the thousands of stories one can read on the internet.
Anyhow, so maybe my perception is skewed, but it is what it is. On one hand, I want to live somewhere (a big city) where I CAN be financially independent for the money I'm already making ($900-1600 a month is what I'm expecting when I move; I currently avg. $1200 as a $7.50/hr administrative assistant) since I don't expect it to change and I'm more than happy with the amount I bring in. On the other hand, getting a roommate would open up my list of potential cities to those across the country. Harrisburg, PA; Detroit (my home); Baton Rouge; New Orleans; Austin; Dallas are just a few of the cities I couldn't afford on my own but could definitely do with a roommate.
So I'm torn. What advice do you have so that I can avoid getting stuck with a non-paying roommate if I decide it's right for me? Can I demand to see his/her lease so that I can get in touch with the landlord myself, pay him myself, and stay in contact with him/her myself? Other ideas?
So I'm torn. What advice do you have so that I can avoid getting stuck with a non-paying roommate if I decide it's right for me? Can I demand to see his/her lease so that I can get in touch with the landlord myself, pay him myself, and stay in contact with him/her myself? Other ideas?
Taking a roommate or becoming someone else's roommate involves risk. There is no guarantee, no matter what you do.
If you can find a situation where you only rent a room, and pay directly to the landlord and your only liability is the room, great. But I don't know if anyone even does that anymore, other than colleges and hotels.
In most cases, you are either going to be a joint tenant on the lease, with all of the privileges and obligations of other tenants, or you are going to be a sub-tenant under another primary tenant. Many leases do not allow subtenants, so if you get offered a subtenancy, ask to see the primary lease, so you know it isn't forbidden.
If you are a joint tenant, then if the roommate skips, you are responsible for the full rent, regardless of any verbal agreements between tenants. Even if you had something in writing between roommates, you would still be responsible for the full rent, you just might be able to collect back from the roommate (if you can find them and afford to take them to court).
If you are a subtenant, your landlord is your roommate, in a way. You pay rent to them, they pay it to their landlord. If you pay direct to the main landlord, you are violating your lease with the roommate. And, even if you pay your share directly to the real landlord, if your roommate doesn't pay their share, you will both get evicted anyway.
If you are the primary tenant, and take on a roommate, either as a joint tenant or a subtenant, you still have risk. The risks are the same as above on a joint tenancy. If you are the primary with a subtenant, you have the risk of the subtenant skipping (or doing damage, etc) and you end up having to pay for it.
There are always risks from both sides. If you have multiple roommates over the years, expect to get stuck at least once.
As for ways to reduce the risk, definitely ask for the lease. Also ask for photoID, so you know he really is the person listed on the lease. If you become the roommate of an existing tenant, ask the landlord whether there have been any problems, heck, knock on a few doors and ask the neighbors whether there have been any problems (wild parties, cops, etc). You could exchange credit reports from Annualcreditreport.com, and make sure they don't have collections from apartments or utilities. Running background checks on each other isn't a bad idea, but most people do not have access to an easy source to do this. You should at least google their name though, and make sure there isn't anything scary there that comes up.
Taking a roommate or becoming someone else's roommate involves risk. There is no guarantee, no matter what you do.
If you can find a situation where you only rent a room, and pay directly to the landlord and your only liability is the room, great. But I don't know if anyone even does that anymore, other than colleges and hotels.
In most cases, you are either going to be a joint tenant on the lease, with all of the privileges and obligations of other tenants, or you are going to be a sub-tenant under another primary tenant. Many leases do not allow subtenants, so if you get offered a subtenancy, ask to see the primary lease, so you know it isn't forbidden.
If you are a joint tenant, then if the roommate skips, you are responsible for the full rent, regardless of any verbal agreements between tenants. Even if you had something in writing between roommates, you would still be responsible for the full rent, you just might be able to collect back from the roommate (if you can find them and afford to take them to court).
If you are a subtenant, your landlord is your roommate, in a way. You pay rent to them, they pay it to their landlord. If you pay direct to the main landlord, you are violating your lease with the roommate. And, even if you pay your share directly to the real landlord, if your roommate doesn't pay their share, you will both get evicted anyway.
If you are the primary tenant, and take on a roommate, either as a joint tenant or a subtenant, you still have risk. The risks are the same as above on a joint tenancy. If you are the primary with a subtenant, you have the risk of the subtenant skipping (or doing damage, etc) and you end up having to pay for it.
There are always risks from both sides. If you have multiple roommates over the years, expect to get stuck at least once.
As for ways to reduce the risk, definitely ask for the lease. Also ask for photoID, so you know he really is the person listed on the lease. If you become the roommate of an existing tenant, ask the landlord whether there have been any problems, heck, knock on a few doors and ask the neighbors whether there have been any problems (wild parties, cops, etc). You could exchange credit reports from Annualcreditreport.com, and make sure they don't have collections from apartments or utilities. Running background checks on each other isn't a bad idea, but most people do not have access to an easy source to do this. You should at least google their name though, and make sure there isn't anything scary there that comes up.
Thanks for spelling out some of the terms I've seen for me. ) I definitely would NEVER get a roommate in my apartment; I would have to go into someone else's apartment (or house or whatever), just to clarify.
Remmeebr that if its their apartmnet they control it .The landlord is in contrct with them ;not you.Anyone with nay sense will have a separate written agreemnt which share liabilty and control clearly.
I think you should look for places that you can afford on your own salary. If you have a roommate and that roommate skips out for the month, you are responsible. Maybe you can find a 2 bedroom place in your price range and you get the roommate. I own my home but I have a roommate and both me and my roommate signed a lease for him. If he skips out, I still have to pay my mortgage which I am perfectly capable of doing. You will have to do what is best for you.
Remmeebr that if its their apartmnet they control it .The landlord is in contrct with them ;not you.Anyone with nay sense will have a separate written agreemnt which share liabilty and control clearly.
Have you considered downsizing to a studio? You say you've moved a lot, so you probably don't have a lot of stuff, anyway. I wouldn't want to deal with a roommate, either. I'd sooner have a smaller place that is mine and mine alone. You can always upgrade if your situation gets better.
Have you considered downsizing to a studio? You say you've moved a lot, so you probably don't have a lot of stuff, anyway. I wouldn't want to deal with a roommate, either. I'd sooner have a smaller place that is mine and mine alone. You can always upgrade if your situation gets better.
Oh, absolutely! I don't even have living room furniture as it is and probably wouldn't buy any; maybe I didn't make that obvious in my first post but a studio is actually my first choice!
d'oh. I see that now. I must've only seen the one bedroom when I read it the first time.
No worries. But yes, the smaller the better as far as I'm concerned. I'm actually infatuated with the "tiny home movement" but that's a story for another day lol. Anyhow, yes, I don't have much at all--right now, all of my belongings fit into two suitcases and a plastic bag.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
) I definitely would NEVER get a roommate in my apartment; I would have to go into someone else's apartment (or house or whatever), just to clarify.
