If you and a friend decide to rent an apartment together, it can make paying the rent and other bills easier; however, living with another person can also be difficult. While you may be best friends now, living together is a different story. Because of this, it will be important to create a plan for your living arrangement, and here are three things the plan should include.
The financial responsibilities of each person
Not only will renting an apartment require paying monthly rent, but there will probably be other bills as well. This may include gas, electric, and water, or other types of utilities. These are the basic necessities you must have, but there are also types of utilities that you can add to this. For example, if you want wireless Internet in your apartment, this will be an extra expense. Cable TV is another common household expense.
Before you rent the apartment, talk about how you will pay these and who will be responsible for them. A great way to divide them is by splitting each expense in half, and each roommate will be responsible for half. You will have to choose which person will actually write the checks, though, because you cannot each write a check for half the amount of all the bills.
The household responsibilities of each person
It's also important to discuss the responsibilities of each person when it comes to household duties. Will one person be responsible for cleaning, or will you split up the tasks? Another thing to consider is how neat each person is. It may be hard for you to live with someone who is messy if you are a neat freak.
The household rules
Finally, you should discuss the rules of the household, and this is vital. You and your roommate can make your own rules; however, you will both need to agree to them. The rules can include things relating to overnight guests, parties, and TV usage. You should talk about all types of things to make sure you are both on the same page before you rent the apartment.
These are three important things to discuss when renting an apartment with a friend, and you may want to write everything up in the form of a roommate agreement. In addition, it will be important to find a landlord that will include both of your names on the lease. If you have questions about this, contact a facility that has apartments for rent.
