I found a roommate, now what?
Don’t trust your new roommate until you know you can trust your roommate. Too many people, particularly twenty-somethings, open their homes to someone they recently met online. Just as a landlord would be conscientious, so should you when considering a house-mate.
The very first thing you should do is have your candidate complete a rental application Yes! Even if this is just a roommate, it’s still critical. Protect yourself and avoid a potential nightmare. These forms can easily be found by a google search.
Criminal Search
A criminal background check should be completed in order to look into the potential criminal past of your prospective roomie. Many surprises can be discovered from a criminal background check - theft, assault charges, harassment, drug use and much more. “It’s astonishing how many people will entrust a total stranger to live with them and not take the proper precautions in checking them out first.” says President, Patrick Barnett of Advanced Research Systems. A criminal background check will give you the peace of mind knowing you are making a wise decision in selecting your new roommate.
Credit Report
A credit report will demonstrate the roommates past history of financial management. This will give you information on credit cards balances, loans, payment history, and defaulted accounts. You may find out about any utility bills that have gone to collections, and this will give you insight to the individual’s reliability in paying shared housing expenses. Potential tax liens may be discovered, and if this is the case the individual may be subject to wage garnishment. Their total outstanding debt -load will be revealed and this may be an indicator of whether or not your new roommate may have a hard time paying their monthly rent. You may want to get out now!
Rental History
Looking into your potential roommate’s rental history may seem obvious to some; however believe it or not, many people fail to do this. This is a must one should do before entrusting a potential roommate. This can be done easily by making phone contact with past landlords. You must know their ability to pay - more than just their good word. You should contact at least 3 past landlords and ask some basic questions pertaining to their rental history. You should ask the amount paid in rent, how long they lived at the residence, and whether there were any late payments. Furthermore, you should question whether the renter gave proper notice prior to vacating. In most cases, this will be 30 days, assuming of course the lease was no longer in force.
Employment
Do you want to know your new roommate has a job? Beyond just knowing he or she is employed, you should know whether they have a stable history of employment. A serial job hopper is probably not in your best interest. An employment background check can easily done by contacting the past employers and verifying dates of employment. If you’re considering a student then you want to know who is going to be responsible for the rent. If this is the case, consider a co-signer.
Remember, it’s your prospective roommate responsibility to pay any costs associated with the background screening process. Since it won’t cost you a dime, just do it!