While opposites may attract in love, living with them can be difficult. Be prepared for questions from respondents. And be honest. The truth will come out very quickly when you start living with them. You may want to consider running background and credit checks on serious applicants.
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Are you tidy? If your idea of a fun on Saturday afternoon is to vacuum the living room and organize the figurines arranged on the mantel, living with someone who models there personal cleanliness after Pigpen might not be a good idea.
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Have you had a roommate before? How many? While never having a roommate shouldn't eliminate a prospect, there are advantages to someone that has experience sharing a space with another person. On the other hand, if they've had a different roommate every six months that should also off an alarm.
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Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? How much time will they be spending over? You don't have to like their significant other but if they are going to become a third roommate you need to know.
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Do you have friends over often now? How many and how often? When asking this question, you should consider how often you have visitors and how comfortable you are with strangers coming in and out of the apartment. As with the boyfriend/girlfriend question, will the friend(s) become unofficial roommates?
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What do you do for a living? What hours do you work?
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What is you sleep schedule on the weekends?
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Do you consider yourself a heavy or light sleeper?
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Do you have any pets? If you don't mind pets, you should know your apartment complex's pet policy.
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Do you smoke? Drink? Do drugs? If so how often?
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What TV shows do you like? What type of music? This is particularly important if you will be sharing a TV or stereo.
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Do you have any hobbies? You need to be aware if their hobbies could bother the neighbors or disturb you if you stumble across them accidentally, like playing drums at 3 a.m. or collecting fingernail clippings.
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Do you like to share? Some people don't like to have their stuff touched and others will consider everything in the apartment fair game. It's best to know what to expect.
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Do you have references? Be prepared with your own.
