Can you have a 1 on Apartment Leases?
Young, single and out of money? Having problems paying rent and bills on your own?
Most people in their 20’s and even early thirties find themselves in this situation or something similar (especially with this economy) and the possibility of living alone seems like a distant memory. Enter the idea of cohabitating with a friend to help with expenses- a roommate. Ahhh, a hefty sigh of relief from the wallet at this suggestion!
What better way to split the bills then to find a good friend to share the rent as well as share friendship with? Of course you team up with someone who is in a similar lifestyle pattern as you, same marital/relationship status, and who has the same cleaning habits as you. Makes perfect sense and life couldn’t get better right? Wrong. Well, suppose this roommate of yours/life partner in a heterosexual relationship decides to embark on a quest for a serious relationship. He/she get a significant other and soon enough it’s not you and your roommate it’s “we” and then YOU-solo. After you’ve had a rough day and want to come home to vent to your house mate, you find them on the couch with a tub of ice cream half-melted in sweat pants, snuggling in a spoon formation with their new mate. Fail. No roommate bonding tonight. So you go into your room solo and search for someone on G-chat who might want to hang out tonight.
This seems acceptable at first, when the new love interest spends weekend nights at your place—but this is just the beginning. Alas, then begins a slow progression into Three’s Company version 2.0. Soon you’ll make plans with your roommate to meet at a bar Friday night. Assuming it’s just the two of you for some adult conversation and cocktails, you head over happily to find that the hostess looks at you sideways and asks if you’ll be joining the couple at table 29. Yep, your roommate invited their “shadow” aka “significant other “to join in on the fun making you the third wheel on this relationship wheelbarrow. Then, when you get home from the evening the “we” retires to “their” bedroom leaving you in the dust. When you go into your bathroom to get ready for bed, you find that there are now three toothbrushes in the ceramic holder and an extra contact case in your medicine cabinet. This seems minor, but then three months down the road, you now have a full-fledged three person living situation in a two bedroom flat. The one in the relationship will try to use the excuse that their boyfriend/girlfriend will help with the bills if you just let them officially move in. It’s a tough decision because you didn’t sign up for this!
Regardless of the fact that a roommate and a significant other can manage to get along and become friends, remember if you signed a lease with one other person, it’s you and them. Sexual slumber parties with your loved one is inevitable, but the general rule of thumb is if it’s two on the lease, then make sure it’s copasetic with your friend who you decided to share a living space with.
Come and knock on our door….we’ll be waiting for you………
Young, single and out of money? Having problems paying rent and bills on your own?
Most people in their 20’s and even early thirties find themselves in this situation or something similar (especially with this economy) and the possibility of living alone seems like a distant memory. Enter the idea of cohabitating with a friend to help with expenses- a roommate. Ahhh, a hefty sigh of relief from the wallet at this suggestion!
What better way to split the bills then to find a good friend to share the rent as well as share friendship with? Of course you team up with someone who is in a similar lifestyle pattern as you, same marital/relationship status, and who has the same cleaning habits as you. Makes perfect sense and life couldn’t get better right? Wrong. Well, suppose this roommate of yours/life partner in a heterosexual relationship decides to embark on a quest for a serious relationship. He/she get a significant other and soon enough it’s not you and your roommate it’s “we” and then YOU-solo. After you’ve had a rough day and want to come home to vent to your house mate, you find them on the couch with a tub of ice cream half-melted in sweat pants, snuggling in a spoon formation with their new mate. Fail. No roommate bonding tonight. So you go into your room solo and search for someone on G-chat who might want to hang out tonight.
This seems acceptable at first, when the new love interest spends weekend nights at your place—but this is just the beginning. Alas, then begins a slow progression into Three’s Company version 2.0. Soon you’ll make plans with your roommate to meet at a bar Friday night. Assuming it’s just the two of you for some adult conversation and cocktails, you head over happily to find that the hostess looks at you sideways and asks if you’ll be joining the couple at table 29. Yep, your roommate invited their “shadow” aka “significant other “to join in on the fun making you the third wheel on this relationship wheelbarrow. Then, when you get home from the evening the “we” retires to “their” bedroom leaving you in the dust. When you go into your bathroom to get ready for bed, you find that there are now three toothbrushes in the ceramic holder and an extra contact case in your medicine cabinet. This seems minor, but then three months down the road, you now have a full-fledged three person living situation in a two bedroom flat. The one in the relationship will try to use the excuse that their boyfriend/girlfriend will help with the bills if you just let them officially move in. It’s a tough decision because you didn’t sign up for this!
Regardless of the fact that a roommate and a significant other can manage to get along and become friends, remember if you signed a lease with one other person, it’s you and them. Sexual slumber parties with your loved one is inevitable, but the general rule of thumb is if it’s two on the lease, then make sure it’s copasetic with your friend who you decided to share a living space with.
Come and knock on our door….we’ll be waiting for you………
