Noise

You and your roommates are friends, you've partied together, you like each other. However, noise is one of things that can drive a wedge into that friendship. Decide before you move in when "quiet hours" will be. Does everyone have to turn TV or stereo down after 10 on week nights? Are parties allowed on weekends, and if so, what arrangements must be made ahead of time with other roommates?

Guests

Come to some agreement about overnight guests, both of romantic type and those who expect to sleep on couch. If you only have one living room couch, it will be kind of difficult for two roommates' sisters to sleep on it, so how do you reserve it? And what about those boyfriends/girlfriends who all but move in?

Food

Are you going to share food expenses and eat your meals together, or is it every man/woman for him/her self? How will you share responsibilities for cooking and shopping? How will you know whose food is whose?

Cleaning/Maintenance

How clean will you keep apartment? Who is responsible for which household chores? When should those chores be done?

Moving Out

What happens if one roommate needs to leave before lease ends? How much notice should he or she give? Does he or she need to find a replacement roommate (with approval of other roommates and landlord)?

Mediation

Your landlord has no obligation to enforce any agreement made between roommates. There are mediation services which can be used to mediate legal disputes between roommates. Decide ahead of time what you'll do if you come to an impasse.

Get it in Writing

NOLO provides this sample roommate agreement which you can use as a template for making your written agreement with your new roommates. It should clearly spell out "rules" governing your co-tenancy and be signed by each roommate. If you want, you can even take it to a notary public and have it notarized, though that's not really necessary.

dan the roommate man

You don't have to be best friends with your roommate. Although it's obviously best to be on good terms with your roommate, you don't need to be together all time and be best friends; often, roommates aren't best friends, but that's okay. As long as you both know how other wants to be treated and respects that, your success at living together will be greatly increased.

It's important to be tolerant of your roommate. You'll meet people at MSSM from many backgrounds, including different races, religions, and sexual orientations. It is extremely important for you to be open-minded and honest when discussing and dealing with issues, especially with your roommate.

Ask questions, be open

Try to set aside stereotypes

Listen to your roommate!

Conflict resolution

It's pretty likely that you'll have at least one conflict with your roommate, in all honesty. The magnitude of conflict will vary, but here are some ideas to help you in any situation:

Address problem or issue immediately!

Listen to your roommate's views

Don't wait for your roommate to say something about what's bothering you

Negotiate, be flexible.

Bring your RA or Residential director into discussion if you can't resolve problem.

dan the roommate man