[arch.stanton]

I'm pretty sure this occurs to some degree in every city. But, I've had a really hard time finding a good roommate to rent to. Seems like a lot, if not most, of the potential roommates are unstable, have drama or some kind of undesirable attribute(s).

I see a lot of ads from people that are homeless or jobless and want to live with you in exchange for fixing things or cooking and cleaning. I also see a lot of ads from people making inappropriate propositions in exchange for a room.

They're also extremely flaky as I've had people show interest in a room and even say yes to to taking it only to have them back out or just never be heard from again.

It can be a very stressful, exhausting, and discouraging process.

I try not to stereotype, but I am starting to think that a lot, if not most, of people looking to rent rooms are in that position because of bad choices they've made (and continue to make) in their lives. Some may just be a victim of circumstance.

I'm pretty sure there are some decent people looking to rent rooms, but they seem harder to find.

And maybe this works both ways. Maybe the people renting the rooms have problems too, I don't know.

So, where is a good place to find a good roommate? Besides craigslist.

Thanks, and sorry for the rant. Just needed to vent a little.

[Raiderman]

I think you're right about the type of people who need to rent a room. With the price of apartment and house rent being so affordable here, you may find that you are getting people who cannot rent elsewhere.

One thing I haven't noticed here are boards in supermarket entries. We had those in our last state, and they were always full of cars for sales, roommates needed, meetup groups, etc. If you can find those boards here (if they exist), that might not be a bad route. Other than that, the only other area I can think of is the college campuses. Make some flyers and find out where other people are putting them up and follow suit.

Good luck!

[Willy702]

Landlords looking for roommates are strange on average too. I went looking for a room awhile ago just to use during work weeks I needed to be around. Then I got the well I don't know if that fits the vibe we are looking for, we want fun people to hang out with. Or people who wanted someone who promised never to bring someone home. I mean I'm married and they wanted my wife never to come visit, even once every two months. Drama goes both ways.

[von949]

[Danknee]

In my experience people that have good roommates have found them at work, existing friends, through clubs they bring to, or through their school public posting boards. This probably works because you find similar people at a similar place in their life.

Finding a roommate on Craigslist probably means they don't have any of the previous options I listed, and thus the percentage of freaks, shut-ins, and weirdos increases exponentially.

[yellowsnow]

Originally Posted by Willy702

Landlords looking for roommates are strange on average too. I went looking for a room awhile ago just to use during work weeks I needed to be around. Then I got the well I don't know if that fits the vibe we are looking for, we want fun people to hang out with. Or people who wanted someone who promised never to bring someone home. I mean I'm married and they wanted my wife never to come visit, even once every two months. Drama goes both ways.

The stranger than average landlord thing is definitely true. Someone has been advertising a cheap room on cl for folks who don't mind living without hot water...

[Prosze]

Roommate situations are hard. Honesty right from the start helps both sides to make sure they are the right fit however weird, at least you know.

Ask around work, sometimes churches have bulletin boards. I know you can find lots of roommate sites but I dont know about reliability.

[Buzz123]

I've had roommates that were my best friends and it wasn't always easy on either/any of us. I would never room with a stranger. That's just crazy.

[Willy702]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

I've had roommates that were my best friends and it wasn't always easy on either/any of us. I would never room with a stranger. That's just crazy.

Having gone through required house sharing living in California in the 90s I can say without a doubt the opposite is true. It might work at times to room with friends, but countless friendships end badly this way. Family too, its just too hard to keep others from taking advantage of the situation. I ended up rooming with a friend for a short while recently just to help him out, but I got out of it as soon as I could. Roomates are a financial arrangement first and foremost, stick to living with people who respect that and most friends and family will not for the long run.

[Scott456]

Originally Posted by Sponge Joe

Where in other countries grown adults can afford to have their own place with a jobs and earnings they have in America majority of our full time employees can only afford roommate situation.

Most people in Asia live with their family (parents) even when they are adults, in their 30's, 40's or even older. It is not unusual to see 3 generations of the family living in one condo.