Renting an efficiency or one bedroom apartment means you make the rules and you pay the rent but when the living space expands to more than one not only the rent changes, the rules do as well. Taking into consideration the financial means of a potential roommate no longer is the single most important factor, one must now look at several traits to help make a decision that will result in not only a rent check being delivered on time but also a living situation that delivers little friction.

A few things to consider when looking for a roommate are:

• Job ? Obviously a person without one must have some way to pay the rent but beyond that different professions have pros & cons. For example an airline pilot might be gone for several days at a time whereas a night watchman would probably have a normal 5 day work week but might have a shift that begins at 10 pm and ends at 6 am which means they would be coming home when you?re getting up or getting up when you?re coming home.
• Personality ? Are you loud and obnoxious? Quiet and polite? Somewhere in between? Personality is a major factor to why we don?t get along with people in everyday life so it is an obvious bullet point on a checklist for any potential roommate.
• Appearance ? Dress like a slob, you probably are a slob and if that?s the case then whose going to be expected to clean the dishes? Well it?s probably a safe bet it won?t be the slob and if keeping the house clean is important then you should put a spin on the old saying, ?Don?t judge a book by it?s cover,? and judge away.
• Taste ? This one will require you ask questions but finding someone who has similar tastes to you may prevent you coming home and finding the giant lion head mounted over your fireplace. (I?m assuming for this illustration that you are an animal lover and opposed to big game hunting)
• Honesty ? A background check is essential to insure you know what kind of person you?re considering and doing so will also help determine a person?s honesty. If you can trust your roommate, you might as well call it a day and go back to your one bedroom room for rent.
• Credit - Just like a background check, a credit check is mandatory to help you understand a person?s ability to manage their finances, which could be a direct correlation to their ability to pay in a timely manner.

As you can see this list could and should be expanded to include references, transportation needs, relationship status and much more in order to give you the most accurate portrait of the person you are considering sharing the rent and your home with.