Today we will give the keys to go live with friends and ensure that coexistence is not affected by money problems.
Of course, living with another person is not easy, before you go to live with anyone you must make sure that in matters of living together you are equal and that you share opinions on issues such as how to distribute expenses, how to distribute tasks, defines basic rules of living together and, last but not least, to know if that person is as orderly as you, and if you have the same pace of life.
Once you have chosen a roommate, it is important to eliminate a sensitive issue from the start, everything that has to do with payments and bills, basically money. Here are some tips so there is never a discussion at home for money:
Rental costs
When several people start looking for an apartment, they usually think of an idyllic house with a living room where all the friends they have in common can fit in, a bathroom large enough to have no problems in the morning and exactly the same rooms. If there is something difficult to find it is a house in which all rooms have the same size or the same characteristics; therefore it is necessary to consider how to distribute those rooms and if the payment is going to be proportional.
You can ask the owner of the apartment that you rent as the previous tenants did it or devise something to suit you. But the most important thing is to make it clear from the beginning.
Another idea is to rotate the room every year, that way everyone can enjoy the big or the cheapest room.
Other expenses
It is clear that the rent is the most representative expense, but not the only one: water, electricity, wifi, the purchase (if it is shared)… There are three options:
- It is decided who pays each bill until a similar amount of expense is obtained for each tenant
- Create a joint account in which each one enters an agreed amount of money each month to pay the floor expenses
- That all the bills are paid by the same person and month by month you transfer that friend by value to what you have to pay in proportion
What option do you stay with? There is no right answer, what you have to do is find the perfect dynamic for you
Talk, talk and talk
Communication is very important in living together, it is the solution to everything, before and after the problem. Remember that you are friends, that is the most important thing.
Use Good Credit
One of the best ways to handle cost sharing is to use Good Credit. The app allows you to know all your movements and categorize them, when sharing a floor, having clear amounts is essential to maintain a good environment. It is especially useful if you decide to create a joint account, everyone can put that account in your good credit profile and see what expenses there have been month to month. They are all facilities! Download Good Credit and worry about what is really important in living together, have fun! (And the move …)