Finding a roommate who won’t devour your food, lurk as you entertain friends or wipe makeup on the bath towels is a triumph at any time. But finding Mr. or Ms. Compatible is even more challenging when you need a roommate–oh so badly–for only a few months.
Just ask Owen and Frank Burnson, whose sister moved out of their three-bedroom apartment in September. Hoping to find someone else to help pay the $1,000-a-month rent until their lease expired on April 1, the brothers advertised in a newspaper.
“We got a bunch of kooks,” says Owen Burnson. “One guy asked would we mind if he played his guitar until 2 a.m. Well, I go to bed at 8 p.m. and my brother goes at 10 p.m., so that wasn’t going to work.
“Some people had pets, but the landlord doesn’t like pets. Some were unkempt, and one guy smelled really bad. Some had suspicious stories. We got funny vibes.”
Difficult as the search for a short-term roommate may be, “It comes up all the time,” says Jan Keltner, owner of Roommate Connection. Keltner estimates that about 20 percent of her business comes from people seeking roommates for less than a year.
“In the summer, we get lots of students who are doing internships and looking for a place for two or three months. Other times, a roommate is transferred and has to move even though four or six months are left on the lease.
“Sometimes people who are transferred to Chicago prefer a short-term arrangement. That way, they can get to know the city without being stuck with a year-long lease. We also get a lot of people who are going through divorces. They need a new place to live, but they don’t know what they’ll be doing in three months.”
In fact, if three people rent an apartment in May, it’s unlikely that all three will there in April. “The way work situations change, the odds are pretty good that the original tenants will not be there by the end of the (rental) term,” says Harry V. Benjamin, vice president at Wirtz Realty and a member of the Chicago Board of Realtors’ Property Management Committee.
Consult the landlord
So what if you’re one of the many renters whose roommate moves before the lease is up? Clueing in your landlord should probably be your first move. Some, such as the Burnsons’ landlord, simply want to know the replacement’s name. Others, such as Wirtz Realty, want that person’s name on the lease, and require a formal application and credit check.
“We simply do not accept substitutions without going through a lease assignment, so that each tenant in the apartment is named on the lease,” says Benjamin. “It’s a formality that lets us know that everybody living in the unit is responsible.”
Benjamin believes the policy also protects tenants. For example, if the moving roommate has painted his room black, that person will be charged rather than the remaining tenants at the end of the lease.
Adding the roommate to the lease is wise, agrees Susan Fort, owner of Roommate Interlink. “Unless you get that person’s name on the lease, they could just up and leave at any time, leaving you with the bills.”
Selecting a compatible roommate means spelling out ground rules, even if that person will stay for only four months. Keltner suggests discussing cleaning, especially who will do what; entertainment habits, including whether guests can use common areas; when quiet time will be needed; and attitudes toward drugs, sex and religion. “It’s very nice if roommates can have separate bathrooms, and individual phone lines are the only way to go,” she says.
In addition, Fort advises clarifying whether the other person smokes, has pets, drinks alcohol, is employed and likes to party.
The grand master of ground rules is Paulette Harary, who says “temporary roommates have been the story of my life” in the 17 years since her divorce. “I keep a list of 20 things that are really important to me, and I ask the other person for their list. Then we can negotiate.”
First on Harary’s agenda: She and the roommate swap numbers to call in an emergency. Second is the kitchen: what Harary considers clean, and whether the roommates should take turns cleaning or hire a cleaner.
“I tell them I give four major parties a year, and ask if they’ll be hurt if I don’t invite them. I don’t share my groceries–I don’t want to be counting eggs and figuring who ate what….
But the person seeking the roommate must be flexible, she warns. “Be really thoughtful. If I’m blasting music, I want that person to tell me if they don’t care for it. Whatever promise you make to the other person, make sure you keep it.”
Harary says honesty has brought her one great roommate after another. When roommate Sinclair Sheridan moved in with a boyfriend, for example, she begged Harary to only get a temporary replacement in case her relationship floundered. “This wonderful guy applied, and I told him my roommate might be back in three or four months. That was acceptable to him–he had been living alone and wanted to see if he would like having a roommate.
As it happened, that roommate, David Hom, ended up staying a year when Sheridan decided against moving back. “He was the greatest,” says Harary.
After you select a roommate, get references and check them out. “Here in the Midwest, I think a lot of people rely on vibes, but it’s wiser to make some calls,” says Fort. “Talk to their last landlord and their employer.”
Harary agrees. “I want to know where they lived before and where they work. I always make those calls.”
Given the delicacy of finding a compatible roommate, you rush at your own peril. “Some clients say they need someone immediately, or in two weeks. How well are they going to know that person?” Fort asks.
Harary makes sure she has enough time by asking roommates for two months’ notice before they move out. “It saves a lot of heartache.”
The Burnsons also can vouch for time. After brooding about their predicament during October, they decided to advertise again in November. This time, they sweetened the deal by lowering the newcomer’s rent from $400 a month, including utilities, to $295. And they offered to do all the cleaning.
“This time we had a great response,” says Owen Burnson. “In a way, it was harder than before because we had to turn down some great people.”
The Burnsons selected Sergei Ivanovich, a teacher who has moved temporarily from Russia to improve his English. “We’re thrilled to have a roommate from a different culture,” says Owen. “We were so happy when he moved in, we toasted him with champagne.”
