Top Six Questions to Ask Your Future Flatmates
The people you live with can make or break life in student rentals. But finding your ideal flatmates isn’t straightforward. It’s easy to dive into a rental agreement with a great group of people, only to discover later that you aren’t really compatible.
So how can you be sure you’ll get along before you sign on the dotted line? Start by checking out the new Bristol SU My Rent My Rights campaign, which has loads of useful information and advice to help you.
It’s also important to be clear about what you want out of a house share and have an honest conversation with the others. Here are our top six questions to ask potential flatmates…
1. How Many People Do You Want to Live With?
Large house shares can be fun as you have a ready-made social group and there’s always someone around. If there’s more of you it usually makes the rent and bills cheaper too.
On the downside, arguments over noise or cleanliness often flare up in big groups. When lots of you are sharing the same space, the group dynamics can get tricky.
How about considering two smaller houses near to each other? That way you get the best of both worlds.
2. Who Will You be Inviting Over?
You won’t just be sharing your space with your flatmates – they’ll be inviting people over too.
Find out who they’re friends with and whether they have a partner. How often will they expect them to come over and will they be staying the night?
3. Are Our Lifestyles Compatible?
This is a biggie. Different attitudes to lifestyle can be a real dealbreaker, so spend time discussing this stuff.
Talk about:
- How you feel about parties – if they like a quiet life but you want to party every weekend it’s time to rethink
- Your attitude to music – this can cause issues when one of you wants to turn it up all round the clock
- Whether you have similar sleeping patterns
- Whether your courses all have the same academic demands
- Your expectations on washing up and cleaning – will everyone do their fair share?
4. What’s Your Budget?
It’s never easy talking about money, but avoiding the subject can cause problems when the bills start rolling in.
Be honest about your budget – can you all afford the same rent and bills? If not, look for practical solutions, like charging less rent for a box room or two of you sharing a big room.
When you work out your budget, remember to factor in:
- Deposit and holding deposit (no more than a week’s rent) – these must be paid up front
- Monthly rent costs
- Bills – what bills will you need to pay and are any covered in the rent?
- Other expenses, like TV subscriptions. You might have different ideas on this, so agree what you need before moving in
Make sure you keep the Cost of Living increases in mind too. Are your bills fixed at a certain price or are they likely to increase, for example?
And decide how you’ll pay for communal items, like loo roll, tea bags and cleaning products. It often works well to have a kitty for these things to make it fair.
5. Where do You Want to Live?
What area of Bristol suits you all best? Factor in where most of your lectures are, as well as the areas you like to hang out.
It’s often more affordable to look for places further from campus, but make sure there are good transport links. Talk to Bristol SU Lettings to find out what’s available in different areas.
6. Do You Have any Deal Breakers?
Discuss the features, above all else, you want this house to have. They could be things like room sizes, parking, bike storage or a garden. What are you all prepared to compromise on?
And What to Ask Yourself…
Once you’ve talked to your potential housemates, it’s time to be honest with yourself. Are these your people? Will you feel able to discuss issues comfortably with them? Do you have similar attitudes to the things that matter?
If you’re still not sure who to live with, look out for Find a Flatmate events or visit Accommodation in Bristol to search for flatmates from the university.
There’s loads to think about before you rent a student house, which is why we’ve created a new guide to help you – download our guide, My Rent, My Rights.
