Rental costs are high in Australia among other things hence it seems like a good idea to share the accommodation. It not only brings down the rental cost but also helps you in reducing costs of electricity, services that you might avail, many purchases etc… On a more non-monetary level, you will have someone to talk to and you will never feel alone. Thus a roommate can help in putting water on many fires. But there is also a dark side to it. Not all roommates are nice, in fact selecting a roommate can be a more critical question than renting a property.
A roommate selecting process freaks out many and thus they forget to ask the most important things. Here is a checklist that you may want to take a look at before choosing one.
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Ask about the previous rental experience
Ask your potential roommate about where he or she was staying before and how was their experience. Asking them about the problems they faced over there and why are they willing to change it also helps you in knowing what type of people they are and what are their preferences that they might not reveal to you directly.
Also, inquire about them from their references and their previous landlords too. See if they faced any issues while the house was on rent and understand the nature of these.
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Ask them about their typical day
Since you are going to be roommates, there should not be much difference between the living styles of you two. Ask them how their typical day at work looks like and analyse that whether it matches to yours. It actually will bother you if they are late night sleepers and keep the lights on for longer time among many other things. Hence to avoid such situations it is advisable to ask this beforehand.
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Ask them about their employment
As the end of the day, you will be sharing the rent with your roommate and hence he or she must have sufficient funds to pay for it. Thus the question about their employment is very important. But do understand that they will be reluctant to answer this as it is considered as a personal question sometimes but this is your task to convince them that it is a completely professional question. Bottom line, they should be able to pay the rent and not create problems for you.
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Check their references
References play a very important role in giving a good impression. Your potential roommate will come with some and you must check their authenticity and ask their previous landlords personally over call, mail or as directed by them their experience.
