How To Prepare Your Home For A Roommate
Many people decide that it’s a great idea to open their homes up to roommates. Not only can this cut costs, but it can also help you feel more secure at home. Understandably, you may struggle with how to prepare your home for a roommate.
The best way to prepare your home for a roommate is to declutter and designate a spare room. Clean shared spaces like the kitchen, family room, and living room. Clear space in your kitchen cabinets to share with your roommate and create a plan to split bills evenly. Look into local rents to come up with a fair price.
Thoroughly clean your spare room before you show it to prospective tenants to make a great impression. Follow along as we explore how to prepare your home for a roommate.
How To Get Your Home Ready For A Roommate
1. Assess Your Home
Before a roommate can move in, you must take a practical look at your home. This can help you divide space, designate a room for them, and set a rental price. Think realistically about how much space you have at home and how much you frequently use.
For example, you may have a room and hall you rarely traverse. Do you have a room that you typically only use for storage? If so, that may be the best room to assign to a roommate if you have another place to store items.
Once you pick a room, you must consider the surrounding rooms. Ideally, you should pick a distant bedroom, so you and your roommate each have space.
2. Declutter Your Home
The last thing anyone wants to do is move into a shared space that is messy and stressful. Not only does this look bad to prospective tenants, but it also implies that it’s “your” space. This may give the impression that they are moving into a messy space they have no control over.
Your first step should be to make a list of anything you don’t need. For example, old clothes, decorations, and supplies you don’t need that are simply taking up space. Pitch, sell, or donate these items to get them out of the way and maximize space.
Pay special attention to spaces you will share with your roommate, such as the family room and kitchen. Keep the floors clear and clean the shared closets in your halls and by your front door.
3. Maximize Storage
There’s a good chance your future roommate has some belongings that won’t fit in their bedroom. In that case, it’s important to establish storage spaces for both of you. This gets tricky if you have a small home without many cabinets and closets.
However, you can easily increase storage if you get creative and buy bins. You can find affordable bins, trunks, and shelves for many storage items. Otherwise, you may want to divide the closets in your home to split with your roommate.
4. Prepare Their Room
You can’t expect someone to sign a lease if you show them a dirty, neglected bedroom. The best way to quickly get a roommate is to thoroughly clean the room you’re trying to rent out. Clean everything from the walls and floors to the ceiling fan blades.
People typically scrutinize every detail when signing a lease, and it’s with good reason. After all, even a dusty light switch plate can leave a bad impression. Create a checklist and clean one thing at a time to ensure it all gets done.
Keep in mind that you don’t need to get it all done in a single day. For example, you may need to let your floors dry if you mop hardwood or steam clean the carpet. It’s even worth putting an air freshener or plugin in the room to leave a good impression before you show it to possible tenants.
5. Make Space In The Kitchen
A kitchens is a selling point whether you’re buying a house or signing a lease. The kitchen is a vital shared space that you and your roommate will use daily. Look through your kitchen drawers and cabinets to create a consolidation plan.
For example, you may need to divide each cabinet and designate a section for your future roommate. Otherwise, you can clear a cabinet, so your roommate can store their kitchenware in it. It’s also a great idea to clean your stove, oven, microwave, and countertops.
6. Set A Rental Price
Setting a rent can be tricky, especially if you’ve never rented a room out before. You must consider several factors, such as home size and how much space they get. It’s also a great idea to search online for local rentals with roughly the same amount of space.
There’s no reason to charge an exorbitant price if you live in an area with reasonable rentals, otherwise it will make it hard to get someone to sign up for a lease. Consider your mortgage rate as well if you are a homeowner, as rental income will help pay it.
7. Create A Bill Plan
Dividing bills is an essential part of sharing a house with a roommate. Roommates typically take charge of certain bills and put them in their name. For example, you may be responsible for the electric bill while your roommate is responsible for water.
However, it’s worth waiting until you meet your prospective roommates, so it feels like a joint decision. The last thing you want to do is leave a domineering impression before your roommate even moves in. Talk to prospective tenants about splitting bills when you show them your home.
8. Maintain Your Yard
Curb appeal is just as important for renters as it is for homeowners. You may leave prospective renters with a bad impression if they show up and see an unkempt lawn. Keep up with yard maintenance and make your lawn look good to avoid this problem.
You must mow your lawn weekly during summer to keep it healthy. If you pay for a lawn service, you can split this cost with your roommate. However, you cannot spring this expense on your roommate, as they may not be up for it.
In that case, you may have to split lawn-mowing duties with your roommate to keep things fair. It’s also important to pull weeds and trim shrubs before you show your home to renters. This is a great way to help your future roommates picture themselves in your home.
9. Make A Fun Outdoor Space
Whether you spend time outside or not, your future roommate might. Today, many people look for rental opportunities with nice yards, patios, and porches. You don’t necessarily need a huge yard to create a fun outdoor space if you keep it clean.
For example, you can declutter your backyard and make a nice path to easily walk. Designate a space for a grill even if you don’t have a grill. This may appeal to your future tenant who likes to grill and spend time outside.
10. Designate Shared Spaces
Accepting a roommate means that you must share some common spaces with them. Deciding which areas are shared and which areas are private isn’t as hard as it sounds. For example, any area that you must walk through to get to your bedroom typically counts as a shared space.
This includes the kitchen, living room, family room, garage, and hallways. It’s essential to keep these rooms clean to demonstrate that it’s not solely your space. Ideally, you should minimize how many personal items you keep in this space.
Otherwise, it may not feel like your home is evenly divided. This can discourage prospective roommates from moving in if they feel like it’s solely your home.
Summing It Up
Carefully assess your home and designate a room for a roommate before you show your house. Clean and organize the shared spaces in your home, like the family room and kitchen. Clean your spare bedroom and research nearby rental rates before you set a rent for your roommate.
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Nick Durante is a professional writer with a primary focus on home improvement. When he is not writing about home improvement or taking on projects around the house, he likes to read and create art. He is always looking towards the newest trends in home improvement.
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