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AC PlTomlx, March, 1992, Page 3
Takins
The
RENTALS TO SHARE
2BR, 2 BA APARTMENT,
$165-futilities, female, non-
smoker. professional
Extra clean, private, furn.,
apartment. Young black person
to share. Util, included.
Only one bill to pay.
FEMALE TO SHARE 2
BR house.
Non
smoker. $175
per
RENTALS TO SHARE
PERSONS TO SHARE LARGE
HOME Util. fum. kitchen & W/D
privileges, cable & phone. NO
pets. $300/mo.
PROF FEMALE Needs prof.
female or student. 28R, 2 BA
apt. Deo/Refs reo. No Drugs.
PROFESSIONAL BLACK MALE
seeks same to share 2 BR, 2 BA
house, 1/2 rent & util.
Out of
House
Sharins
Some Pros and Cons To Turn Your Home Into A Gold Mine
By Patricia Smith-Deering
Phoenix Managing Editor
As individual budgets get tighter
during these recessionary times,
more people are finding that sharing
living expenses is a practical
solution. Classified ads are
increasingly being placed for
“Rentals To Share.” But, whether
you are considering renting out a
room or two in your home or
getting a roommate for your
apartment, you should consider
several areas to keep from making a
mistake that can be costly,
financially and/or emotionally.
Personal Assessment of
Needs
Before entering an arrangement
that may later cause you grief, you
should take a personal inventory to
determine whether or not sharing
your house or apartment is the right
move. Ask yourself:
• What are the disadvantages of
sharing a residence with someone
else?
• How open and honest can I be
when faced with unsatisfactory
behavior or a situation that does not
meet my needs?
• Do I know how to talk about my
needs?
• Am I flexible and com
promising?
• How receptive am I to other
people’s needs, personalities, and
opinions?
While the financial incentives may
be great, the end result can be
devastating at worst, frustrating at
least, when you realize that you
cannot tell another adult what to do
or how to live. There is a risk in
having someone else move in with
you, but it can be kept to a
minimum by being clear on what
you can or cannot, will or will not
tolerate. Compatibility is essential,
not only for your peace of mind,
^but for a smoothly-operated
household, as well.
Identify Your Requirements
- Up Front
Your personal assessments will
determine whether a prospective
housemate or roommate must be a
non-smoker, alcohol and/or drug
free, male or female, with or
without children, a student or
professional, have references from
previous residences, or be of the
same ethnic and/or religious
groups.
Even if you are willing to
consider someone whose habits
don’t coincide with your own
choices, you should seriously
consider the potential impact on
yourself and your household
operation. A smoker can increase
the risk of fire or property damage.
A social drinker is one thing; an
alcohol abuser can cause untold
financial, emotional, even physical
distress. A child (or chili-en),
especially if you have none, adds a
whole new dimension to your
residential environment.
You should also be specific about
attitudes towards such seemingly
innocuous things as air temperature,
space and storage requirements,
music and other noise levels,
neatness and cleanliness, frequency
of visitors, and use of any shared
areas (e.g. kitchen, bathroom,
laundry, etc.).
One thing that should not be
shared, if at all possible, is the
telephone. Some of the most heated
disputes result from telephone
abuse, non-payment of a person’s
share of the bill, or disagreement
over long-distance calls made. This
is particularly important if the
telephone account is in your name.
You may find, to your dismay, that
a roommate has left you holding the
bag for hundreds of dollars in
telephone charges and you will be
responsible for paymenL
Careful Advertising and
Strict Screening
No advertising medium will
elirrtinate cranks, crazies, or cheats.
This is something that must be
considered seriously. This is
particularly true when you place an
ad in newspaper classifieds - a very
public medium. If you are in a
specific profession, consider ad
vertising in a local publication or
with an organization catering to that
profession. A notice on the bulletin
board at your place of employment
and spreading the word among your
co-woikers can also be effective.
One source that is sometimes
overlooked is local college
campuses. Frequently, graduate
students seek residence off-campus
for an environment more conducive
to their study needs. A call or letter
to the university’s housing
department will add you to the list
of off-campus housing made
available to incoming students.
Strict screening of a prosprective
housemate or roommate to
determine compatibility, respon
sibility, and ability to pay is the
only way to ensure that you are
getting the best possible match.
Your initial ad can reduce the
amount of time sprent in this process
(e.g., sex, race, smoker/non
smoker, age, student/professional,
facilities available, etc.).
Regardless of your other stated
preferences, any prospective house
mate must be employed or have a
verifiable source of income. Being
in line for a job or having applied
for a financial grant is not good
enough. If your prospective
housemate hesitates in any way to
provide or allow verification, you
need to keep looking. And
verifiable sources of income should
not include things like alimony
and/or child support because
spxDuses have been known to miss
or ignore payments.
Go into detail about those things
that you require and expect, and
identify the needs and exp)ectations
of your prospjective housemate. It is
this discussion that will provide the
objective information you need to
make a sound decision. Do not let
desperation to have someone ease
your financial burden push you into
a subjective judgement you may
later regret. Seeing $$ signs can
blind you to shortcomings that can
affect any agreement or contract you
have arranged.
Put It In Writing, Please!
Whether your housemate is a
relative, friend, friend of a friend,
or a new-found acquaintance, put
your agreement in writing. Sprecify
rental deposits and conditions of
their return in full or in part, rental
amounts and payment schedule,
termination/eviction notice require-
menL living arrangements (shared
and separate spaces), shared bills,
telephone arrangements, and other
itetm discussed and agre^ upx>n by
all parties. Terms for renegotiating
the living arrangements also need to
be includ^.
Although too many ])eople enter
into shared rentals without it, this
agreement is a necessary evil.
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