How to Housemate?
August 11, 2016 6:49 PM Subscribe
What do I need to know before taking on a housemate?
I've never shared living space with anyone outside of family. What questions should I ask myself and potential housemates?
The Plan:
I'd rent out the upstairs and live in the basement. Each of us would have 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living area. The shared spaces would be the kitchen/dining room, laundry, and stairs (the laundry's in the basement). The front door opens on the upstairs living room and the back door opens on the dining room/stairs. There's a long drive way (4 cars deep, one car wide) so we'd have to work out switching cars to avoid street parking.
As to why, I can't do basic the maintenance, repair, and yard work my home needs. Nor can I afford to hire it out.
My hope is to get a housemate who will take care of the smaller items in exchange for lower rent. And then use the extra rent income to hire out the larger items. Is this a good/bad idea?
Bonus question:
One of the guys at my office has expressed interest in renting with me. Any pitfalls of house-sharing with a coworker?
I've never shared living space with anyone outside of family. What questions should I ask myself and potential housemates?
The Plan:
I'd rent out the upstairs and live in the basement. Each of us would have 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living area. The shared spaces would be the kitchen/dining room, laundry, and stairs (the laundry's in the basement). The front door opens on the upstairs living room and the back door opens on the dining room/stairs. There's a long drive way (4 cars deep, one car wide) so we'd have to work out switching cars to avoid street parking.
As to why, I can't do basic the maintenance, repair, and yard work my home needs. Nor can I afford to hire it out.
My hope is to get a housemate who will take care of the smaller items in exchange for lower rent. And then use the extra rent income to hire out the larger items. Is this a good/bad idea?
Bonus question:
One of the guys at my office has expressed interest in renting with me. Any pitfalls of house-sharing with a coworker?
Don't rent to your coworker. If for some reason you don't get along and you want him to leave or evict him, it will make your work life weird. Also, consider the fact that your private life and noise you make/things you do at home in your private time are now much more easily overheard by your coworker who might talk about you with other coworkers, even without intentionally trying to violate your privacy. Do you really want your coworker seeing you coming home drunk at night, or hearing you fight with a family member on the phone, or seeing what mail you're getting, observing your eating habits at home, or hearing you throw up when you have the flu? Etc.
What you really want is like a mini superintendant, in exchange for discounted rent. Define, in specific tasks and specific frequencies, what you mean by "the maintenance, repair, and yard work my home needs" and then advertise whatever portion of that you want the tenant to do, add an amount of rent, and put up a detailed ad on Craigslist or similar explaining your situation with photos and information about the parking and laundry. Having a separate entrance the way you described will make this an appealing listing for someone who is handy and young and energetic but needs to find cheaper rent. A stranger with whom you can have a cordial business relationship is your best bet.
The comment above is spot on about the kitchen.
posted by zdravo at 7:09 PM on August 11, 2016 [6 favorites]
What you really want is like a mini superintendant, in exchange for discounted rent. Define, in specific tasks and specific frequencies, what you mean by "the maintenance, repair, and yard work my home needs" and then advertise whatever portion of that you want the tenant to do, add an amount of rent, and put up a detailed ad on Craigslist or similar explaining your situation with photos and information about the parking and laundry. Having a separate entrance the way you described will make this an appealing listing for someone who is handy and young and energetic but needs to find cheaper rent. A stranger with whom you can have a cordial business relationship is your best bet.
The comment above is spot on about the kitchen.
posted by zdravo at 7:09 PM on August 11, 2016 [6 favorites]
I'd also look at tenant laws in your state/city to see how much notice you legally have to give to evict someone, in case it doesn't work out.
posted by shortyJBot at 7:13 PM on August 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by shortyJBot at 7:13 PM on August 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
Be really careful and make sure to set your expectations early about what constitutes the proper completion of a chore. Does the yard have to be edged? How often? Are the expected to do these jobs without prompting from you?
Shared spaces can be a pain. Stairs are easy, stuff doesn't go on the stairs. Ever. That's a safety issue. But can they leave clothes in the laundry? I tend to leave things in the dryer for a while, which is fine in my house because it's just me and the wife. But I wouldn't want that with anyone else there.
So you'll have to go through their space kind of to get to yours, right?
Food areas are usually a big concern. How much mess is allowed? When does it need to be cleaned up? Some people say before bed, some right after eating, some need it started before eating.
Will you be sharing kitchen space only or also pots/pans/other stuff? What happens when you cut brownies in my nonstick pan and scratch the mess out of it?
Parking would be better if I could go two wide, is street parking an option? Because when I want to leave I don't want to have to get you to move your car if you're behind me, and I wouldn't want to move your car for you either.
Also, I'd stay away from living with coworkers. You already see them all day long. You can't fake a sick day, risk getting him sick and messing up work, and won't be able to really get away if you have a conflict at either work or home. Not worth the trouble.
posted by theichibun at 7:17 PM on August 11, 2016 [5 favorites]
Shared spaces can be a pain. Stairs are easy, stuff doesn't go on the stairs. Ever. That's a safety issue. But can they leave clothes in the laundry? I tend to leave things in the dryer for a while, which is fine in my house because it's just me and the wife. But I wouldn't want that with anyone else there.
So you'll have to go through their space kind of to get to yours, right?
Food areas are usually a big concern. How much mess is allowed? When does it need to be cleaned up? Some people say before bed, some right after eating, some need it started before eating.
Will you be sharing kitchen space only or also pots/pans/other stuff? What happens when you cut brownies in my nonstick pan and scratch the mess out of it?
Parking would be better if I could go two wide, is street parking an option? Because when I want to leave I don't want to have to get you to move your car if you're behind me, and I wouldn't want to move your car for you either.
Also, I'd stay away from living with coworkers. You already see them all day long. You can't fake a sick day, risk getting him sick and messing up work, and won't be able to really get away if you have a conflict at either work or home. Not worth the trouble.
posted by theichibun at 7:17 PM on August 11, 2016 [5 favorites]
I would charge market rent and hire out all maintenance if possible. You don't want to chase tenants to do chores.
posted by crazycanuck at 7:18 PM on August 11, 2016 [27 favorites]
posted by crazycanuck at 7:18 PM on August 11, 2016 [27 favorites]
I once rented a room from a part-time co-worker and it was so awkward. Don't do it. There's no escape from them, your work relationship gets all weird (probably even more so in this case since you're expecting them to do chores), and you learn things you can't just forget when you get back to the office. Ugh. No. Just post an ad.
posted by teremala at 7:34 PM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by teremala at 7:34 PM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
As a now ex-LL, I'm going to suggest that crazycanuck is correct. Your tenant has zero personal investment in the property, and you don't want to spend lots of time riding herd getting them to do the work you want them to do. Charge the going rate and hire gardeners, painters, whatever.
I'm a little concerned about the tenant having to access your private space to use the laundry.
...Also, the basement meets local code for use as a bedroom?
(If you haven't done so already, you may wish to consult an accountant and/or get one--there are various and sundry tax implications involved as to what deductions get made where when you're renting out part of your house, plus the income has to be reported.)
posted by thomas j wise at 7:56 PM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm a little concerned about the tenant having to access your private space to use the laundry.
...Also, the basement meets local code for use as a bedroom?
(If you haven't done so already, you may wish to consult an accountant and/or get one--there are various and sundry tax implications involved as to what deductions get made where when you're renting out part of your house, plus the income has to be reported.)
posted by thomas j wise at 7:56 PM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
Don't lower rent in exchange for chores or maintenance. Charge fair market rate, be clear about lifestyle issues/guests/cleaning expectations and check all references. Hire out all maintenance that falls beyond basic cleanliness.
Single lane driveways are often managed by leaving a spare set of keys for either housemate to use to get out if their car is trapped.
Don't live with a coworker or friend.
posted by quince at 7:58 PM on August 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
Single lane driveways are often managed by leaving a spare set of keys for either housemate to use to get out if their car is trapped.
Don't live with a coworker or friend.
posted by quince at 7:58 PM on August 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'll add to the chorus of not rooming with a co-worker. It got hella awkward when the company fired him.
posted by randomkeystrike at 8:00 PM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by randomkeystrike at 8:00 PM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
Normally, in most houses, the main floor would be the more desirable choice. It seems odd that you're opting for the basement for yourself.
It is your house. Why cede the best parts of it to a roommate?
posted by yesster at 10:38 PM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
It is your house. Why cede the best parts of it to a roommate?
posted by yesster at 10:38 PM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
If you're going to be in the basement, I highly recommend that you first do a "test drive" for every day noises. Have a friend come over, and make random, everyday noises like:
Walking in bare feet, socks (and if you allow shoes inside, then definitely include high heels)
Flushing the toilet (noisy pipes?)
Watching action movies on TV
Closing/slamming doors and cabinets
Dropping small to large objects on carpeted or uncarpeted floor
Opening/closing any kind of sliding door or closet
Hopefully, you're not sensitive to noise, or you spend most of your time out of the house. These are all noises that could potentially become a part of your every day life, so definitely get a sense for your level of noise tolerance. My noise tolerance was much, much greater years ago when I was in college. Now that I've been living by myself for a long time, I find it alot more difficult to tolerate thumps and thuds. YMMV.
posted by invisible ink at 11:57 PM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
Hopefully, you're not sensitive to noise, or you spend most of your time out of the house. These are all noises that could potentially become a part of your every day life, so definitely get a sense for your level of noise tolerance. My noise tolerance was much, much greater years ago when I was in college. Now that I've been living by myself for a long time, I find it alot more difficult to tolerate thumps and thuds. YMMV.
posted by invisible ink at 11:57 PM on August 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: In answer to a few questions: I currently live in the basement and there's nothing to be gained by moving all my stuff upstairs.
posted by The Monocled Puppet of Sock at 5:03 AM on August 12, 2016
posted by The Monocled Puppet of Sock at 5:03 AM on August 12, 2016
Make sure your rooms and their rooms have separate, keyed locks on the doors, including your bathrooms (at minimum, a locked prescription box screwed down to something immovable.) While you may feel that your housemate is trustworthy, their guests may not be.
I have found that contrary to my expectation, it really really bothers me when someone goes into my room without asking, even to do something helpful like dropping off mail or returning a book. I did not expect this to bother me, and you may also surprise yourself because you're renting out your own house.
I agree that you should charge a fair market rent and just put that money towards maintenance.
posted by blnkfrnk at 7:19 AM on August 12, 2016
I have found that contrary to my expectation, it really really bothers me when someone goes into my room without asking, even to do something helpful like dropping off mail or returning a book. I did not expect this to bother me, and you may also surprise yourself because you're renting out your own house.
I agree that you should charge a fair market rent and just put that money towards maintenance.
posted by blnkfrnk at 7:19 AM on August 12, 2016
Since the laundry is in the basement, figure out if someone doing laundry/going up and down stairs will disturb you so you can set up parameters for when they can do laundry. This sounds silly but I have a friend who is currently getting no sleep because the single noisy dryer in her multi-unit apartment building keeps her up. Maybe you are less sensitive, but sleep is a big deal.
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:00 AM on August 12, 2016
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:00 AM on August 12, 2016
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posted by needs more cowbell at 7:02 PM on August 11, 2016 [3 favorites]