[obobskivich]

wondering if anyone has experience with housemates/room-mates?

to clarify: people who pay you money to rent a portion of your home, not: buddies spending a week with you

been thinking about it, wondering if anyone has experience/suggestings with finding a room-mate, dealing with them, etc (like what can you NOT make them pay for, whats fair to make them pay for, how do you accomidate sharing a single kitchen/laundry, etc)

basically the house is big enough to give someone the equivalent of a small apartment, so I'm not worried about "personal space" issues, so much as I'm wondering about the professional side of dealing with them, like being a landlord and co-tennant at once? (I've had people live with me before, and I've done dormitory housing, so that aspect doesn't scare me, its more how do you deal with the authority side of them living in your house (since you own it, but live equal with them??))

sorry for the somewhat long post, just sort of curious for experience/suggestions in regards to this thought of mine

 

[Ttvetjanu]

I live in a shared apartment with two other guys that I have not previously known. We all have a locked room (12 square metres) and share a kitchen and shower/toilet and a small general area in front of the kitchen. All you need to make sure of is arrangements with cleaning, washing of dishes/clothes, if you are to share plates/glasses, possible parties and arragements if/when among many other things. I would also be sure that it is someone you fully trust not to take anything. I was careful in the beginning but I now trust my roomamtes, still always keep my door locked just in case.

Personally we use our own glasses and plates, but I wouldnt mind it if someone needed to borrow some glasses for a party or some other occasion. I've not really had any trouble with my roommates, except for one occasion when one of them came home drunk and started cooking food, only to fall asleep with food still on the stove. I woke up at 6am to the burnt smell, luckily nothing happened and the alarm hadnt even gone off yet. Still a bit scary.

 

[vagarach]

If the person isn't a friend of yours, then I would consider turning the potential space into an almost full apartment, i.e. kitchenette & bathroom. A separate entrance is also important, allowing your tenant to come and go as they please without disturbing you.

The separation makes things nice and simple, and I think only with a friend who you know and understand can you live with them as equals in your house.

You've got the experience living in dorms and such, so I'm sure you know all the caveats that go with sharing a kitchen etc, so I guess your plan can work, but the person is most important, I wouldn't let any old (paying) stranger into my house.

 

[obobskivich]

ah, see, I've done the apartment/dorm thing as well, and I understand the security side of it

its more the arrangement with owning the house, and bringing someone else into it to stay there (where I'm like their landlord and roommate in one)

no idea how sharing would work (how they'd store their own stuff, no idea honestly)

@ the near-fire experience: very scary, and very glad nothing bad happened

Quote:

Originally Posted by vagarach /img/forum/go_quote.gif If the person isn't a friend of yours, then I would consider turning the potential space into an almost full apartment, i.e. kitchenette & bathroom. A separate entrance is also important, allowing your tenant to come and go as they please without disturbing you. .

well, that would be quite a bit of modification to that side of my home, at quite a bit of expense on my part (and I'm not renting a room just for kicks, the money is a factor), to add a separate entrance would require ripping the front end off my house (don't even wanna imagine how horrible it'd look, what it'd cost, etc)

basically its one "side" of the house, with a large room, and a bathroom directly across from it (thats entirely unused right now), so its fairly close to an "isolated living area", excepting the shared kitchen/laundry (which is one of my biggest concerns, obviously, as none of the appliances are cheap to repair, some of them are old/touchy, and its not a dormitory (and I know how awful some renters can be))

and thanks for the input so far, even hearing my own concerns echo'd is comforting (to know that I'm not just insane/uptight about various things)

 

[vagarach]

Think of church and state, some things are meant to be separate, and seeing as there are laws about tenants and landlords, and how they interact, heaven forbid any dour circumstances, but it would be a major pain.

Have you thought about just moving into a smaller house/apartment?

 

[obobskivich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vagarach /img/forum/go_quote.gif Think of church and state, some things are meant to be separate, and seeing as there are laws about tenants and landlords, and how they interact, heaven forbid any dour circumstances, but it would be a major pain. Have you thought about just moving into a smaller house/apartment?

yeah, I've been thinking about the "some things meant to be separate", I just see a lot of ads for rental rooms/portions of homes, and have been thinking about it

@ the moving comment, thats an entirely PITA can of worms that I really don't wanna get into, would you accept: "is not an option" as a simple answer?

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

You have got to come up with plans for cleaning and sharing. Its all well and good for the first few months and then it goes downhill if you dont have some proper schedules. There are a lot of issues when it comes to sharing and money matters. Kitchen is usually where almost all the fights start. Who cleans the kitchen, who owns what in the kitchen and what items are allowed to be shared.

The bathroom is usually next if theres only one. It can be complete hell with some ppl.

I have had a great time and a completely miserable time with roommates, its great for company and easing off financial load on yourself, but man when it comes down to the dirty stuff, some of them just wont bother. Same with bills, get them settled fast or get it in writing, else you aint gonna get that money.

 

[acidbasement]

Agreed, you will need to make sure you and your prospective room mates are compatible when it comes to cleaning the kitchen, and to a lesser extent the bathroom. Also, levels and times of acceptable noise.

But first and foremost you need to understand your obligations under the landlord and tenant law of your state, unless it's an informal renting arrangement with a friend whom you trust.

 

[apatN]

Why not find a girlfriend?

 

[Suntory_Times]

Just make sure you get a descent person and more importantly have a well written up contract that you both sign, this generally is able to keep problems to a minimum. Make sure anything you don't want, or rules you want to exist is written on the contract, and give yourself the ability to remove the rentee from the property with two weeks notice no matter the reason.

Remember make the rules and contingencies of the house very clear to the person before you agree to let them stay in you're house. As for price, it depends on your area. I know where I live it is illegal to charge utilities in shared housing for example, so any expected utility increase should be included in the rent already. That bieng said every area should be treated differently, just make suyre you do you're research and collect a bond (if it is legal to do so where you live).

Quote:

Originally Posted by apatN /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why not find a girlfriend?

They usually don't want to pay rent or want it significantly cheaper.

 

[acidbasement]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suntory_Times /img/forum/go_quote.gif Make sure anything you don't want, or rules you want to exist is written on the contract, and give yourself the ability to remove the rentee from the property with two weeks notice no matter the reason.

This is illegal in every jurisdiction I've lived in, regardless of whether or not it is in the rental agreement.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by acidbasement /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is illegal in every jurisdiction I've lived in, regardless of whether or not it is in the rental agreement.

Non-separate accommodations are typically governed by an Innkeeper's Act or something with a similar name, not the Landlord Tenant Act. Different set of rules.

 

[-=Germania=-]

I have five roommates.
+ the two boyfriends who are always around.

We have our own set of 10 Commandments.

Like that everyone has to clean up after themselves, buy kitchen supplies (Sponges, soap, etc.), take out the garbage, etc. I have all girl roommates except for our fabulous Louis who is a very clean boy.

You do need to set some ground rules.

Split utilities accordingly and costs of shared items. However, don't make a big deal about pennies and change - just participate accordingly. For instance, I buy all of the paper plates since I didn't bring any cooking hardware. It works itself out easily.

Best of Luck!

 

[BMWWW]

As Germania said, don't fuss over the littlest details, and get someone who you've preferably known beforehand.

It sucks to be stuck with someone that you don't vibe with, or are a huge mess.

 

[apatN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suntory_Times /img/forum/go_quote.gif They usually don't want to pay rent or want it significantly cheaper.

Oh haha, I see.