I currently live in a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment and people have been asking why I don’t rent out the spare room to make some extra money.
I have thought about it in the past but decided against renting out my spare room at this current point in my life.
Privacy.
I like the privacy that I currently have and having a room mate right now would seriously cut that down. I like to lie down on the floor sometimes and put my feet on the chair and read a book and I would feel a bit uncomfortable doing that in the living room if I had a room mate. There is also the issue of my pet cat to deal with and I am not sure how I would handle that. The cat currently has a litter box in the spare bathroom but if I had someone staying with me then that would have to change. The bathrooms in my apartment are on the small side and it would be quite cramped if I had the litter box in the bathroom that I use on a regular basis.
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Safety.
It is hard to find someone that you can really trust with your space and I think that is a hassle that I do not want to go through right now. I shared my living spaces during my early college years and I found that room mates coming and going at different times presented a security issue for me. Having someone else with keys to the front door meant that I could not put the deadbolt on when I wanted to. I know that the deadbolt is not a big level of security but it is still better than having just the regular lock on and certainly a lot safer than having the door unlocked.
I am also afraid of having a crazy person so I would need a background check. Having a good set of background information on a possible tenant is good protection against getting someone that won’t pay their rent or habitually pays late.
Organization.
Having a room mate means that things will not necessarily be EXACTLY as I want them to be in the shared spaces. This means that I would have to compromise on the shelf space in the fridge and in the pantry and I would have less space for my stuff as my roomie would need to have his or her own items as well.
Cleaning.
I am a little bit OCD about a few things and the one thing that drives me completely crazy is dishes sleeping in the sink overnight. I hand wash my dishes and I make it a point to wash everything at night before I go to bed. The only exception would be if there was a baking dish or pot that had caked on stuff that needed to be soaked overnight. Not everyone shares my feelings and I have lived with people who thought it was perfectly okay to let dishes sit for days on end before washing.
I hate to vacuum so I keep the tracking in of dirt to a minimum by not wearing shoes in my apartment. Well actually I wear cheap flip flops in the house but shoes that go outside are not worn into the apartment past the entry way. They are removed on mats at the entry and dusted off before being taken in to the shoe bags that hang inside. I know I can ask my roomie to do the same but it may or may not be something that fits in with that person’s lifestyle.
Living Cycles.
I typically go to bed early or at the very least turn in and read a book before winding down. I am not sure what my roomie’s habits would be but what if I end up with someone who goes to bed at a later time than I do. Or what if they work later than I do and my early rising habits cause problems?
I know that all the points listed above are things that you look for when you are interviewing potential roomies but I think that right now it is a hassle that I am not ready for. I can still comfortably fit my rent payments into my monthly budget so the issue of money is not a big one for me right now.
Yes it would be nice to get that additional income to offset what I pay in rent but I think that I like my current lifestyle and living conditions too much to get a room mate right now.
Would you consider renting out a spare room in your home? Why or why not?
I had a roommate only for a year or so, and it was done more as a favor to a friend who suddenly needed a place after a break-up. I had many of the same reasons for not wanting a roommate that you listed, though bringing in a little extra money for that time certainly wasn’t a bad thing. In fact it worked out prety good. I banked most of the money I got for rent, and after the roommie moved out, I got let go from a job, so I had no problems getting by as a result of my bulked up savings account.
Having roommates is definitely a choice to be considered in depth. Every time I have had roommates in the past, it almost always ended badly. I love my privacy and having a roommate or more puts a damper on my way of living. If I need extra money at any time there are so many more ways to go about it than welcoming a person to live in your home with you (whether a friend or a stranger).
I don’t understant how some people actually do that “rent rooms in their own house” I can not even thing living with a stranger in my own house and certainly I wouldn’t do it for a few dollars…
Anyone who’s been a student & lived in share accommodation knows the nightmare of living with other people. I think it comes down to who you share it with, if it’s a long term friend it can sometime work but i know many friendship which have been test by living together.
This is something that a lot of people have presented to me.”Rent out your basement”/”Rent out your spare room”/ you’re single living in this big space-make some extra money. I’ve heard it a million times. I haven’t lived with anyone since sophmore year of college and i’m almost 8 years removed since then. It would be a huge adjustment that i’m not willing and “too old/set in my ways” to make. I had a friend stay with me for a few weeks while she was looking for a place and as much as i love her it just confirmed to me that i couldn’t live with anyone right now. I like the freedom of being able to do whatever i want, when i want, how i want. I would consider it if i was in DIRE need of additional income but ummm yeah. Not for me right now either.
I don’t blame you for not wanting a roommate right now. There are definitely a lot of conveniences involved with having a roommate. You have so much more freedom living on your own. Whenever I had a roommate or two I would eventually get sick of their bad habits. So if you can easily afford your lifestyle, it probably isn’t worth the hassles of having a roommate.
Well with the loss of my job looming around the corner and not knowing what my income will be after the summer if it takes me a while to find a job this might end up being an option for me if worst comes to worst.
now that i’m in my 30’s, i just couldn’t see myself doing this, even though i have an extra room.
I like my own space and it wouldn’t feel the same if i had a stranger sharing it with me/
I would certainly not rent out a spare room in my home. The main reason is my intimacy. If I want to stay on the floor and take meditation I’d feel embarrassed knowing that someone might see me. Or another example, when it’s hot in summer and I want to take a shower without shutting the bathroom door.
It would be weird for me to give up my intimacy just for some extra money.
I like to lie on the floor and put my feet on a chair while reading a book. I guess that would make some people feel funny to see me like that too.
I’ve rented a spare room out on and off for years. The extra money is awesome, but the loss of privacy and total control is not. All were friends, so I didn’t have the stranger issue to deal with, but overall I would say that my days of renting are over. I don’t want to be a bill collector, maid, counsellor or taxi for another adult. Regardless of good intentions – when you introduce money and a binding agreement in to a relationship – it changes things. The things you found funny and exciting about a person can quickly become tedious and unnerving, especially when they aren’t paid up!
Admittedly, it helped me through the recent recession, but it did not come without a price. I only talk to one of the three now.
Maybe in the future when there’s more living space and we negotiate a maid in to the deal! 😉