Many renters have been forced to share an apartment with others because of this, as New York City is one of the most expensive cities to live in globally. Because of this, it could be beneficial to share a flat so you can save some money as well as make friends. Nevertheless, before any decision to move into the first co living New York, there are several things that should be considered. It is a matter of giving and taking and paying attention to whether living with another person can become a reasonable option for city dwellers.
Before moving
The best place to start is to be clear about what you want from your roommate and honest about yourself and your behaviors. In shared housing, you can state if you have a roommate preference that could either be the same or different in sex or no preference at all. Another important thing to consider when sharing rooms is the smoking/not smoking factor. It’s important to mention any concerns like allergies to pet fur, dust, or certain food items because this shared apartment will be your home for the duration of your lease agreement. So owners should explicitly assert any specific rules/terms of the lease in order for prospective occupants to choose their potential roommates wisely, and both parties need not sign off on them until they find suitability with such requirements. Think of what would result in conflict scenarios and address them in your Roommate Agreement/House Rules. Some crucial themes include:
Cleaning Responsibilities
There are certain individuals who are too much concerned with cleanliness while others are not much concerned about it. Normally, it is possible to be yourself in your room, but you have to know what is acceptable to everyone when you live with other people. In general, will the tenants share the cost of cleaning or take turns doing the cleaning? All in all, it is deemed a basic etiquette if someone picks up after themself in public rooms, takes out the garbage when necessary, does dishes and cooking utensils, and finally cleans up the washroom after themselves.
Expenses for goods and household needs
To have an apartment shared so that one can easily replace any necessities he runs out of, it is always advisable to choose a method for dealing with them. It is crucial to determine if the rent will include supplies in public places like tissue papers, napkins, detergents, and bulbs or if they should be paid by tenants as a group monthly. Also, decide whether shampoo, toothpaste, and shower gels are to be used for all or are personal items. The same applies to the foodstuffs kept in the refrigerator – often, there is a dispute about eating someone’s groceries, so you must only consume what belongs to you unless agreed upon differently.
Lifestyle
Before you move in together, try to find out a little about your prospective roommate. Would you describe yourself as an extrovert who enjoys the company of his roommates, likes hanging out with them, and has camaraderie? Or are you more of an introvert who appreciates his company? Though opposites can attract it is wise to know what sort of person your roommate is and their daily habits to determine if they suit you well and also know what to anticipate from one another as individuals.
An occasional smoker may not consider himself a smoker, but for a non-smoking roommate, one cigarette is too many. A vegetarian might not want roomies cooking meat in the apartment; some have particular religious practices that affect most of their lives, such as not mixing plates/ cutlery used for different kinds of food or burning incense indoors. All these should be issues for concern when looking for a roommate, so tell potential roommates whatever’s irritating you.
Guest Policy
Apart from the people we live with, we have other friends we interact with, but it is annoying to let in a continuous flow of visitors. Discuss the guest policy, which includes whether or not one can bring guests into the apartment, if overnight guests are okay, and how often this can occur.
Noise
What if you are in a musical group and like to sing or play your guitar during the day? Or do you need to write or study without any noise at all? If you know that your lifestyle might not suit everyone’s taste, then it is important for you to be truthful from the beginning and set a noise policy. This can involve setting quiet hours after a particular time so that people living together may beemselves and yet cohabitate.
Remember, if you are opening up your apartment to share with a roommate, you need to have a bit of an easy and open attitude and be open to the differences between people that make apartment sharing an interesting and fun living situation. Just remember that no one likes to live in a prison of over-the-top rules, and if your attitude is “my way or not at all,” you may be best off living in your own apartment.
