Inviting new people into your home is always the same, we want to live with decent people who will pay the rent. So the actual process of finding new house-mates is always a risky one. We can have the best intentions in mind, but from the dynamics of everyday life it’s often hard to keep everything stable when it comes to living in shared accommodation. Here are some tips from the beginning, to try and find the most suitable people to live with. Whether all of the people concerned are new house movers, or it is only one new person relocating to the house, we always want to end up with a good group.
1) Organise how you Meet Prospective House-mates
There’s a lot of choices when it comes to how we meet new house mates. Some of the common ways are linked to posting on on-line housing sites, as well as the more old school ways like making a simple signs that are placed in public places. The most important thing to remember is that the ‘way’ and ‘how’ of your advertisement placement reflects equally on the offer. It can also be useful – once you have made a decision – to offer help and advice about removals, and reliable man with van company, as this is a good way to welcome someone. Do you have any cheap removals services, man and van services, or other movers’ tips you can offer?
2) Look for People as well as let them look for you
One approach to looking for new house-mates – that is often forgotten – is to actively search online profiles on-line as well as posting your own offer. This can be a pro-active way of doing things as it means that you can approach people as the person in charge and be selective. Rather than just waiting for people to contact you can go on-line and search for possible house-mates as well.
3) Be Clear and Genuine
When meeting possible house mates for the first time it is best to be completely open about what type of people you are. This means talking about exactly what the people in the household do for a living, how often you have people around, and what type of noise levels you find acceptable. It’s hard to be completely open about these types of things given the slightly formal nature of the situation, but it’s best to put the cards on the table and discuss them.
4) Always Speak to the Prior Landlord
The stability of keeping things paid on time always comes down to the obvious factors of money and reliability. The unfortunate truth however is that regardless of how appealing someone can seem in person, is that their rent paying history may not be as good. This also may not be a problem – if the person in question has genuinely improved their working situation – but talking to their prior landlord, or owner of their past property, is a sure fire way of establishing the full picture.
5) Talk About Your Prospects
The best house-mates are always those that have some link to your own interests and prospects. This is the hard – and slightly antisocial fact(!) – of house sharing. The sooner that this idea is included in the conversation the better. There’s no point in being bashful! If anything, it is better to talk about your passions and interests openly, so that the people you consider to live with get an idea of what you’re like, and, can in turn, consider if they’ll fit in.
6) Check Employers
This does sound more like the advice you’d give to a prospective employee, but in the end, it all comes down to payment and how much you value living with trust worthy people. Tell any prospective house-mates that you’re going to contact their employer in the same way a hiring manager would. After the person moves in, and things are more equal, this perspective is forgotten, but for now it’s paramount that backgrounds are checked. As long as the person is a normal working person this shouldn’t be a problem!