Roommates-Worth the Risk?!

[Werefrog]

Hmmmmm. If I start saying I'm gay and make people breakfest in bed, does that mean I can start getting roomates of the feminine kind?

I'm pretty sure that was the main point of Three's Company.

[Alunissage]

That was certainly the basis for the gags, yes. The putative reason was that the landlord wouldn't lease the apartment to a "mixed" group of singles if the man were heterosexual, if I recall correctly.

[White Shadow]

I live with two other people (technically three, but one of them is never here... but she does pay rent).

The group has had its ups and downs, but the apartment is functional. Roommates can be hit or miss. Interview a prospective roommate before you/they move in and if you don't think it's a fit look for someone else. If you think the roommate you have isn't working out for you, there are a couple of things you can do to try to get them to leave.

And for the record, the sexual demographics of this apartment are two lesbians and a gay man. The girl who is never here is straight.

[Kizyr]

I'll finally chime in on this. First off, I live alone. I dealt with roommates fine in college, but now that I have the ability to live by myself, I greatly prefer it. No one to share the fridge with, no one else to clean up after, I don't have to talk to anyone unless I want to, I don't have to deal with anyone else's guests...

But anyway, if you need a roommate, I've noticed that there are a few specific things that are common sources of tension, and a few easy or reasonable ways to deal with each.

First is cleanliness. If you're living with 2 or more people, then hire a maid service to come once or twice a month. A lot of arguments stem over different people's standards of cleanliness, or if someone gets busy and doesn't have time to clean up, that kind of thing. Then you get people having to clean up after one another, which breeds a lot of resentment. Hiring a maid service circumvents most of that and is usually pretty cheap if everyone chips in. But... if it's just you and one other person, having some kind of standard agreement on cleanliness is really helpful.

As for the rest... If you can come to an agreement on fridge space, that'll help with other problems. A crowded fridge can cause a lot of other arguments.

Bathroom cleanliness is another thing. If you have one bathroom per person, you'll have no problems. But if you have to share, well... that can cause a lot of other problems over conflicting schedules. Make sure to work out some kind of arrangement, particularly regarding when you take showers.

Oh and... There's no difference in getting a gay or straight roommate. KF