The right roommate can help you cut your living expenses

As cold weather settles in and the cost of No. 2 fuel oil is somewhere around $2.65 a gallon, roughly the cost of a gallon of apple juice, Maine students, young professionals and many others of all ages are seeking to find just the right roommate to help cut the high cost of housing. It is a lofty goal, environmentally sound, but if the wrong roommate is selected, it can ruin the quality of living for both parties.

Doubling up for housing is not a new concept. It is interesting to note that senior Wal-Mart executives, when traveling together on business across the United States, double up in $49 dollar a night Super 8 rooms to help cut costs, no exceptions. New college students living on campus and in apartments in the community understand that having a roommate or two can seriously reduce the costs of college living expenses. What should consumers seeking to find a suitable roommate consider in their selection process? Remember: We are not talking romance here. This is strictly residential housing business.

In order to find compatibility in a roommate, you must first examine yourself. What are your living habits, quirks, special needs or personal preferences? The better you are able to build a written list, the easier it will be to find a suitable living partner. Having contentious issues pop up after the fact in a living situation can quickly offset any financial benefits that one might achieve. It is helpful to have a written agreement with the new roommate and to make sure that there is as much compatibility as possible.

Questions to ask should include: Are you financially able to pay your share of the living expenses? How often and how many people do you plan to have over? What is your normal work, school and social schedule? What are your eating habits and how will we split food expenses? The list of questions should be written down and expanded as your experience builds in roommate interviewing. While it is best not to grill the prospective living partner, nonetheless it is important to cover as many areas as possible.

Work with your landlord. You won’t be able to evict your new roommate. Only the landlord has that power. Being honest and up front can keep the landlord-tenant relationship positive.

Also, remember that if all the housing bills (electric, heat, telephone, cable and others) are in your name and your roommate fails to pay and you are late in making payments as a result, guess whose credit gets whacked? It’s yours. Spread the bill-paying responsibility across both parties and ask to see receipts that they are indeed paid.

The telephone bill in particular can be a minefield of unexpected expense increases if your roommate is chatty and has a romantic interest living in Guam. Keep separate cell phone lines or address the issue directly at the beginning. Remember: A land line is easily accessed by anyone who is visiting your apartment, and the results could be very expensive.

Write down your agreement with your new roommate and cover all the details. Yes, developing a written contract is as exciting as weeding the garden, but it must be done. It clarifies the thinking and actions of both parties and is a useful resource when there is conflict. Add an attachment to the agreement that is as complete an inventory as possible of each party’s possessions. This will avoid conflict in the future. Also, if furniture, sound systems or big-screen televisions are going to be purchased jointly, add a provision in the written agreement about how this jointly owned property would be dealt with, if one or both parties moved out.

Living with another person is never easy, but a few good steps of preparation done in advance will lighten the load greatly. And when the fuel oil bill is effectively cut in half with the addition of a new, well-selected roommate, this process will be worth the effort.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast CONTACT, Maine’s membership-funded, nonprofit consumer organization. Individual and business memberships are available at modest rates. Interested and motivated prospective volunteers are always needed and welcomed to apply to help with our mission. For assistance with consumer-related issues, including consumer fraud and identity theft, or for information, write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.