{"id":3413,"date":"2019-09-24T09:00:44","date_gmt":"2019-09-24T01:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leasing.dmcihomes.com\/?p=3413"},"modified":"2024-01-06T09:07:24","modified_gmt":"2024-01-06T01:07:24","slug":"advantages-disadvantages-roommate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leasing.dmcihomes.com\/blog\/advantages-disadvantages-roommate\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pros and Cons of Condo Living With a Roommate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being able to live near your workplace or school gets a load off from your everyday stress. Renting provides a great deal of convenience, especially for those living in the province and working in the metro.<\/p>\n

But of course, living in a condo comes with a price. There are many bills to pay: rent, electricity, water, and so on. Oftentimes, getting a roommate becomes a solution to lessen the expenses of renting and living in a condo. But if you\u2019re unlucky, you might just end up spending more than usual and stressed over your new frenemy.<\/p>\n

There are many advantages and disadvantages of condo living<\/a> with a roommate, as well as living alone. Here are some of the pros and cons you will encounter when living with a roommate and a few tips that can help you when you encounter trouble.<\/p>\n

ROOMMATES AND RENT DUES<\/h2>\n

Roommate Advantage: Split on rental payment<\/h3>\n

Rent is one of the most expensive things you have to pay for when condo living. This is why one of the most significant benefits of living with a roommate is you get to split the cost of the rent. This lessens the burden for you and your roommate because rent (and other utility bills) take up a huge chunk of your salary.<\/p>\n

Roommate Disadvantage: Missing the payment:<\/h2>\n

Splitting the cost of rent has a dangerous con. Whether you have money or not, you and your roommate need to pay your dues. When your roommate can\u2019t pay his or her share, you would have to shoulder the balance, which can mess up your monthly budget.<\/p>\n

Roommate Pro Tip:<\/h3>\n

The ability to pay rent on time is the most crucial factor when co-living with a roommate. Consider knowing your roommate\u2019s work history and reliability in terms of making payments. Also, you and your roommate should agree on your due dates for the rent so both of you can adjust to your monthly budget.
\nYou and your roommate can also consider other payment methods<\/a> like taking turns in paying the rental fees, or one person pays, and the other pays the person.<\/p>\n

UTILITY BILLS<\/h2>\n

Roommate Advantage: Fair share in everything<\/h3>\n

Unfortunately, rental isn\u2019t the only thing you would need to pay for when condo living. There are also electricity and water bills. When you\u2019re living with a roommate, you get to split the payments, too.<\/p>\n

Roommate Disadvantage: It\u2019s not constant<\/h3>\n

Sharing the expenses for utilities doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you would save a fortune. It really depends on how you and your roommate would use the utilities in your condo unit.<\/p>\n

Roommate Pro Tip:<\/h4>\n

In order to truly save up on utility bills, here is one useful roommate tip<\/a>: if you\u2019re not using it, turn it off. This way, you can control your utility bills and have an idea of how much you spend on it monthly. Discuss with your roommate on how to split the utility bills with your roommate<\/a>. Do you split it? Or divide it according to your usage? It\u2019s really up to you.<\/p>\n

GROCERIES AND HOME ITEMS<\/h2>\n

\"groceriesPhoto courtesy of Steve Buissine<\/a> via Pixabay<\/em><\/p>\n

Roommate Advantage: Grocery shopping like a family<\/h3>\n

The thing that most renters miss when they decide to live on their own is a home-cooked meal. Well, you can do that with your roommate. You can buy groceries together and cook for one another. This way, you can save yourself from ordering take out and fast food (and getting unhealthy).<\/p>\n

Roommate Disadvantage: The picky and overbuying roommate<\/h3>\n

Not everyone has the same taste, so having different food preferences is normal. But it makes it hard when you are planning for your meals, especially if you\u2019re roommate is a picky eater.<\/p>\n

Another con is when you\u2019re grocery shopping, your roommate keeps buying what he or she wants, but you two split the total bill at the cashier. Sounds tough? Yup. That would mean going off-budget, again.<\/p>\n

Roommate Pro Tip:<\/h4>\n

When grocery shopping, list down the things you both need and split the expenses there<\/a>. The rest, which is your wants, you guys pay separately. This would keep you within your budget.<\/p>\n

SAFETY<\/h2>\n

Roommate Advantage: Safe and sound with a roomie.<\/h3>\n

Renting a condo unit sounds safe enough because most buildings have security personnel at the lobby and roaming the halls. But you can also feel extra safe when living with a roommate.<\/p>\n

Roommate Disadvantage: You and roomie are out at the same time<\/h3>\n

When the condo unit is left empty, there\u2019s this constant anxiety-like, \u201cDid I lock the door?\u201d \u201cDid I turn off the aircon?\u201d and other stuff.<\/p>\n

Roommate Tip:<\/h4>\n

We highly recommended you and roommate to install CCTV cameras that are connected to your phone, so you could monitor your unit even when you\u2019re away<\/p>\n

HOUSE CHORES AND OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES<\/h2>\n

\"housePhoto courtesy by pascalhelmer<\/a> via Pixabay<\/em><\/p>\n

Roommate Advantage: Helping each other to finish chores<\/h3>\n

Living with a roommate not only splits the expense cost, but it can also share the responsibilities of maintaining the condo unit, cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry, and a lot more.<\/p>\n

Roommate Disadvantage: The wrecking roommate<\/h3>\n

Sharing a condo with a roommate is all fun and games until you find out that he or she is a trainwreck. If unlucky, you may end up with a roommate who doesn\u2019t understand the gravity of the responsibilities and end up doing the chores by yourself.<\/p>\n

Roommate Pro Tip:<\/h4>\n

Agree on your shared responsibilities: you do the dishes on Mondays, he or she does it on Tuesdays; pick up on yourself and keep your things on your side of the condo unit in a neat and orderly manner. Clear the air with your roommate as early as possible to avoid disagreements and chaos.<\/p>\n

NEW FOUND FRIENDSHIP<\/h2>\n

\"newPhoto by Afif Kusuma<\/a> on Unsplash<\/em><\/p>\n

Roommate Advantage: Instant Friendships are Established<\/h3>\n

Having a roommate means you instantly have someone to keep you company. Living on your own can become lonely, and you may end up looking for interactions. But having a roommate can give you the company and friendship you need. You can have someone to talk to at the end of the long day or enjoy take-out dinner with.<\/p>\n

Roommate Disadvantage: Your roommate becomes your enemy<\/h3>\n

One of the greatest fears of people renting condo units is not getting along with their roommate. And that\u2019s a genuine fear. There are a lot of stories of roommates fighting and kicking each other out of the unit because of different ideals and huge disagreements on their lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Roommate Pro Tip:<\/h4>\n

They say that opposites attract, but that\u2019s not the case in condo-living. You need to consider checking your roommate\u2019s lifestyle and attitude. Check if you share the same ideals and pet peeves. If you do, living together won\u2019t be as hard as you think. But if you don\u2019t share the same ideals and you still opt to live in the condo unit together, you and your roommate should set some rules and regulations that would be advantageous for both.<\/p>\n

SHARING SPACE AND COMPANY<\/h2>\n

Roommate Advantage: Having company when you need it<\/h3>\n

We mentioned earlier that having a roommate means you have a company, especially when you need it. Sometimes, when living alone, a small condo unit becomes too big for one person. Living with a roommate can help you avoid that feeling of loneliness.<\/p>\n

You can also share your things with your roommate, especially during emergencies like running out of shampoo or soap, or you have nothing to wear for an important event in your office. You don\u2019t have to struggle alone when living with a roommate.<\/p>\n

Roommate Disadvantage: Less to almost no privacy<\/h3>\n

Sharing almost everything comes with a disadvantage, too. When sharing a space with a roommate, expect your privacy (and hers too) to go out the window. You won\u2019t be having any of that for quite a while. There will also be occasions when your roommate has someone over for dinner or a movie night, leaving you no choice but to wait in your corner and hope they finish soon.<\/p>\n

Roommate Pro Tip:<\/h4>\n

To avoid possible arguments and disagreements with your roommate, consider living with someone you genuinely know down to the core. Be it your best friend, favorite cousin or officemate. This way, understanding each other will come easy.
\nBut if you really can\u2019t stand the idea of losing your privacy, we suggest renting a condo unit alone instead.<\/p>\n

The list of advantages and disadvantages of living with a roommate can go on and on. It\u2019s a constant place of discovery, especially when you experience it first-hand.<\/p>\n

Renting a condo unit alone or sharing it with a roommate is a tough decision to make. Consider the pros and cons written above and decide which one you will prioritize: your budget or your privacy.<\/p>\n

Whichever decision you choose, it will bring out the good and bad living experience. But if you can manage to work through the issues, whether it\u2019s your wreck of a roommate or the expensive utility bills, your living experience will surely be an excellent one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Being able to live near your workplace or school gets a load off from your everyday stress. Renting provides a great deal of convenience, especially for those living in the province and working in the metro. But of course, living in a condo comes with a price. There are many bills to pay: rent, electricity, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,7],"tags":[19,20,21,22,23,24,25],"class_list":["post-3413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice-and-tips","category-renting","tag-advantages-of-roommates","tag-benefits-of-having-a-roommate","tag-condo-living","tag-condo-renting","tag-disadvantages-of-roommates","tag-living-with-a-roommate","tag-solo-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leasing.dmcihomes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leasing.dmcihomes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leasing.dmcihomes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leasing.dmcihomes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leasing.dmcihomes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3413"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/leasing.dmcihomes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16060,"href":"https:\/\/leasing.dmcihomes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3413\/revisions\/16060"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leasing.dmcihomes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leasing.dmcihomes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leasing.dmcihomes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leasing.dmcihomes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}