Stranger Roommates (Chicago, Lincoln, Irving: leases, insurance, credit check)

[chikid]

So I am planning on moving out sometime in between November and Feburary. Ideally I am looking for a roommate that I know either as a friend or a friend of a friend. However, that is never a guarantee.

So have any of you ever had to move in with a roommate you didn't really know here in Chicago? What were your experiences? How did it turn out? What types of sources did you use to find them? I know Craigslist is a big one.

I am also considering a studio, but in general those are just harder to find and usually it is more expensive than compared when having a roommate. What I mean is you might be lucky and find a 2 bedroom for like $900 or so and you can split that, However studios at or less than $500 are hard to find.

[jsk1983]

Where do they have 2 beds for $900?

[Jandur]

I have in the past and it worked out pretty well. You just need to meet with a bunch of people and figure out who you click with. My roommate was from CL and we ended up being pretty similar, can't really complain.

[chikid]

I found some in Ukranian Village, Avondale, Logan Square, Irving Park even every once and a while in Lincoln Square. Definitely won't find it in places like Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, Lakeview or Bucktown.

[chikid]

Originally Posted by Jandur

I have in the past and it worked out pretty well. You just need to meet with a bunch of people and figure out who you click with. My roommate was from CL and we ended up being pretty similar, can't really complain.

Yeah that's why I want to ease myself into it. I would definitely meet the person first too see if we click.

[MannheimMadman]

Originally Posted by jsk1983

Where do they have 2 beds for $900?

Originally Posted by chikid

I found some in Ukranian Village, Avondale, Logan Square, Irving Park even every once and a while in Lincoln Square. Definitely won't find it in places like Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, Lakeview or Bucktown.

There you go. You can add some parts of Edgewater and Rogers Park to the list as well.

[Drover]

I would gladly pay an extra couple hundred bucks to live by myself than to deal with the headache of a roommate, friend or stranger.

Originally Posted by jsk1983

Where do they have 2 beds for $900?

All over town.

[chikid]

Originally Posted by Drover

I would gladly pay an extra couple hundred bucks to live by myself than to deal with the headache of a roommate, friend or stranger.


All over town.

Eh, it's more for financial reasons. While away at grad school I lived by myself, and it was nice, but really, you save a lot more money. It's just not rent, but also all the other bills you would split, like internet, cable or utilities.

Now a studio with utilities included that's a whole different story.

[soulful]

A roommate is a bit of a hassle because of leases. All parties named on the lease are responsible both jointly and individually for the entire lease. So if a roommate bails and moves to Hawaii your landlord legally will still require you to pay the entire monthly rent. Happens all the time and one is left hanging. Your only option is to find a new roommate and your landlord must approve that individual (and many will do credit checks, verify employment, etc. before approving a new roommate). Or, you can sue the roommate who bailed for the rent but that almost never happens.

Anyway, need someone really reliable and financially sound (or better yet, as mentioned, get a studio in a neighborhood you can afford and avoid the hassles of entering into a legal contract with an unknown party).

Good luck with your move

p.s. roommates.com is kinda cool because it has photos and quite a bit of chicago roommate "inventory"

[Drover]

Originally Posted by soulful

A roommate is a bit of a hassle because of leases. All parties named on the lease are responsible both jointly and individually for the entire lease. So if a roommate bails and moves to Hawaii your landlord legally will still require you to pay the entire monthly rent. Happens all the time and one is left hanging. Your only option is to find a new roommate and your landlord must approve that individual (and many will do credit checks, verify employment, etc. before approving a new roommate).

Originally Posted by chikid

Eh, it's more for financial reasons. While away at grad school I lived by myself, and it was nice, but really, you save a lot more money. It's just not rent, but also all the other bills you would split, like internet, cable or utilities.

Now a studio with utilities included that's a whole different story.

soulful explains above quite well why rooming up is not necessarily a more financially attractive option than getting a studio by oneself. The risk of being stuck with someone else's financial obligations has a risk-cost in its own right, and paying a little more to live by yourself is like buying an insurance policy against that happening. A studio in a decent part of town with most utilities (minus internet) can be had starting at around $700/mo, maybe even less. As for internet, there are bound to be a whole lot of wi-fi signals within range. If you can't find an unencrypted one, figure out who the encrypted signals belong to and offer to split part of the cost with them if they'll let you hook up to it.

If you can't tell, my responses are based on having crappy roommate situations. I will live in a flophouse or a YMCA before taking on a roommate again.