By Chicago rents are up this year and living with roommates can be a perfect solution for finding that affordable apartment in your dream Chicago neighborhood with the amenities you desire.
Whether you’re living in an apartment with others for the first time or have spent years sharing space, the keys to creating a great roommate relationship revolve around respect and trust. We’re here to help! Based on many years of experience and witnessing countless roommate scenarios, we have put together our top tips for living with roommates.
Respect Each Other’s Privacy
It’s important to understand how each roommate defines privacy and what that means to them. For some, privacy means leaving them alone when they’re in their defined space (i.e., bedroom). For others, it’s never entering their bedroom or bathroom. Be clear about what level of privacy each person expects. A great way to encourage privacy is by finding a floor plan that is designed with bedrooms on opposite ends of an apartment or with another room between the bedrooms (i.e., bathroom). A two-bedroom split level floor plan can be the perfect solution.
Keep Communication Open
The key rule of setting boundaries and ground rules early is crucial. So is keeping the lines of communication open. If something bothers you or is cause for concern, say something. Don’t keep it bottled up or else your frustration will continue to build. Unless you and your roommate have very different schedules, avoid leaving written notes. A face-to-face conversation is often the easiest and best way to quickly resolve any issues.
Create a Cleaning Plan
Chores can always be a point of contention and many roommates have had arguments over the dreaded chore wheel! The best solution is to discuss chore responsibilities up front. However, you divide and conquer, it’s important that everyone agrees.
Talk about Finances
One of the many benefits of sharing an apartment with a roommate is that you can save a lot of money. Even if you both are dividing the rent equally, you still need to talk about how you’ll split the cost for various items from cable to internet to apartment supplies.
The Apartment Source offers Chicago apartment seekers the largest selection of two, three and four bedroom apartments in all Chicago neighborhoods. Start your search by texting or calling one of our expert leasing consultants today!
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Rent@ApartmentSourceChicago.com + 773.404.9900
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