Moving out advice!
I'm moving out in about two months into an apartment with a room-mate (already know her well but she is not a best friend so we aren't breaking that rule lol) I will have written agreements on everything and will also have both names on the lease so neither of us can get screwed over.
If you could go back in the past and tell yourself not to do or buy something, what would it be. Or if you could tell me anything what would it be? I really need some great tips, cheap decorating ideas and clothing. Anything you can throw out there for me would be great!
If you could go back in the past and tell yourself not to do or buy something, what would it be. Or if you could tell me anything what would it be? I really need some great tips, cheap decorating ideas and clothing. Anything you can throw out there for me would be great!
0
Replies
-
I wouldn't have my name on a lease with anyone else for starters.
As for decorating, spray or regular paint and garage sales or thrift shops.
Also, Ikea.com (if you don't have one locally).0 -
Do not write a check to your roomate to pay the bills. Pay your portion to the direct person of the bill. When I lived with my cousin, I would give her my portion of the rent and utilities for her to pay it in whole at one time. I learned to give my half to the land lord myself, she was behind on our rent, even though I paid my half.0
-
Don't make joint purchases (tv's, cooking utensils, etc.). That way, there's no drama over who gets what when you move out.0
-
This might look mean,but its not.
This applies to anything.
You don't "deserve" any objects.
You don't "deserve" a great apartment or a big house or a nice car unless the money is rattling around in your bank account with nothing better to do.
It sounds like you are off to a great start.
Good Luck0 -
Hm well from living in a house with 5 other people, my #1 tip is to make a clear rule regarding food! Are you going to share food or remember who bought what? Will you have your own cupboard or should you write your name on your food? This doesn't seem like a huge problem, but when you buy some semi-expensive health food that you're eager to cook up and you find out it's gone, it can cause unnecessary tension.
Also I would talk about cleaning duties. Again, this is from my experience living with 5 other people and I did most, if not all, of the cleaning and it really made me angry over time.
It's just good to have it "set" on what is expected of each of you so it doesn't become an issue when one of you starts having to pick up the slack for the other.
Oh, also a good idea to discuss having people/boyfriends over and if you want any "quiet hours". Again, it probably won't be an issue, but it's good to have the discussion up front before there IS an issue because then it gets more awkward and can cause a fight.
Good luck
0 -
So long as the appartment is in good nick, there's no need to decorate until you can afford what you want. I've lived here for a year now and we're done nothing except hand our art on the walls. My embroidery, his posters and photographs. We'll paint the walls in the future, but white walls aren't the end of the world and I don't see why so many people moving out for the first time almost cripple themselves re-docorating a soon as they move in. Get to grips with living with your friend before you even think about decorating.0
-
Do not write a check to your roomate to pay the bills. Pay your portion to the direct person of the bill. When I lived with my cousin, I would give her my portion of the rent and utilities for her to pay it in whole at one time. I learned to give my half to the land lord myself, she was behind on our rent, even though I paid my half.
This!
When I was living with my loser-ex boyfriend he would slack on paying the rent but since both our names were on the lease and the landlord saw I was paying my half, she didn't cause me any drama.0 -
Best advice ever. More people should follow it.0
-
We painted a "chalk board wall" and on it we wrote grocery items we needed (the shared ones we split the bill on)
We also had a chore list for each week and alternated who had to do what - important to have a date it should be done by
We placed a storage bin with drawers in it outside of each of our rooms. That way if one of us left something out the other person could just go put it there rather than cleaning up after someone else.
We used paints from the "oops bin" at Home Depot and sewed our own curtains and pillows for the living spaces.
Good luck!0 -
Make sure when you do decide to part ways, that you remove your name from the lease (and get it in writing!). Friend of mine didn't and the tenet that remained decided not to pay rent and the eviction was filed under her name too, even though she hadn't lived there for 1.5 years. =(0
-
LABEL EVERYTHING! Sounds dumb, but that way, if things go sour, you know what's yours, can she can't claim it's hers. Or even for if things work out really well and you live together for a long time, things kind of start mushing together, and you forget what is whose!!0
-
these are the ones that stick out.
make sure that if you like your sleep, it is stated ahead of time "no guitar with amplifier after 11:00 pm".
Drugs can only be smoked outside with the cigarettes.
Do not feed my cat, junk food (or get him high)0 -
We painted a "chalk board wall" and on it we wrote grocery items we needed (the shared ones we split the bill on)
We also had a chore list for each week and alternated who had to do what - important to have a date it should be done by
We placed a storage bin with drawers in it outside of each of our rooms. That way if one of us left something out the other person could just go put it there rather than cleaning up after someone else.
We used paints from the "oops bin" at Home Depot and sewed our own curtains and pillows for the living spaces.
Good luck!
I love the bins outside the doors, that is a great idea! All of these are!0 -
- Don't have all the bills in your name. Join leases are tough.
- Make sure you and your friend have enough money in the bank to get through at least a month without income.
- Have your own space (room), in the fridge and the bathroom.
- It's still a relationship, and when most married couples can't get along, it's worse in roommate situations. Have realistic expectations about the joint living areas, sleep, cleanliness, noise, music, mates and beer. IF you don't know who will be cleaning, it is likely to be an problem.0 -
I agree with the no writing checks. I also know from experience with my name and someone else's on a lease, you can get screwed o er still, example, that person packs up and moves and u can't keep up with rent, it's on both of yall0
-
these are the ones that stick out.
make sure that if you like your sleep, it is stated ahead of time "no guitar with amplifier after 11:00 pm".
Drugs can only be smoked outside with the cigarettes.
Do not feed my cat, junk food (or get him high)
Aww poor kitty!0 -
We painted a "chalk board wall" and on it we wrote grocery items we needed (the shared ones we split the bill on)
We also had a chore list for each week and alternated who had to do what - important to have a date it should be done by
We placed a storage bin with drawers in it outside of each of our rooms. That way if one of us left something out the other person could just go put it there rather than cleaning up after someone else.
We used paints from the "oops bin" at Home Depot and sewed our own curtains and pillows for the living spaces.
Good luck!
These are great ideas. May implement some of these in my home, with the hubs and kids!! :-)0 -
Don't split the cost of any one item with your roomie. Buy it outright yourself or let her buy it.
Write checks to the landlord, electric company, etc. directly.
Finally, don't buy anything you can't afford. Always live within your means.0 -
I got burned big time by some very "nice" guys. Seriously, nice people from all outer appearances. :grumble: :explode:
My rent-paying roommate was a pack-rat who stuffed every bit of his space with appliances & packaged food. One time he was storing trash in his closet & the smell was putrid all the way upstairs!
My non-rent-paying boyfriend did most of the cooking, cleaning & yard-work, yay! But secretly he was a compulsive shopper & hoarder stashing stuff everywhere!
Sorry if that's not what you're asking about.......... pay attention to roomie's habits and speak up right away if anything is amiss.
Perhaps you can go shopping at IKEA or somewhere to pick things out together?
Good luck & hope all works out well for you! :flowerforyou: :drinker:0 -
Make sure you both are accustomed to the same noise levels and amount of entertaining. Make sure you have your rules on guys or people sleeping over set in advance. Decide how to divy up the food, whether it is going to be shared or separate. Have jobs designated.
As far as decorating, most apartments won't let you paint, so decorate with white walls in mind. Black and white is awesome and will make the cheapest decor look rich. With black and white, you can have accents of any color you like such as throw pillows, throw rugs, etc. And your walls will look great white.0 -
I really wish IKEA had been around when I was just starting out...such great deals, and if there's one in a reasonable driving distance for you, its worth the trip.
Having roommates is rarely ever easy, so make sure this is someone you really can live with before you sign a lease. You might want to have some clear guidelines regarding boyfriends staying there too...ran into a big issue with that (had a roommate whose boyfriend basically lived there too, while I paid half the rent - and he was sometimes there when she wasn't, which was kind of awkward for me). Don't buy anything major together (like furniture and stuff like that). Make sure its 'splittable' when you move on in the future. It can be very nice to have a roommate too (not trying to be all negative about that), but just be sure its the right person and that you have similar values when it comes to your caring for you home and possessions.
Good Luck!0 -
um, just because both of your names are on the lease doesn't mean you can't get left holding the bag. I'm an attorney and one thing I do is landlord/tenant work. If your name is on the lease, you are responsible for the entire rent. Your rent payment obligation does not reduce in half simply because a co-tenant moves out. The landlord can, and generally does look to everyone who signed a lease for payment in the event of a breach. Sure, you would have the ability to sue your co-tenant for an equal contribution...but that's not going to help you avoid eviction, a judgment for damages, or the credit hit....and its going to cost money to sue the co-tenant who might not have anything to contribute monetarily.
someone else suggested that if you move out, make sure your name is taken off the lease. This often is not possible because the landlord has to agree to take you off the lease...and if this does happen, it should obviously be in a writing signed by the landlord. Anyway, let me explain why this generally does not happen. if a landlord has 2 folks on the hook for an obligation, why voluntarily release one of those folks from the obligation? the fact that you and your roommate may no longer be getting along doesn't mean anything to the landlord. landlord is about getting paid and with 2 folks on the hook, there is a better chance of that happening. This same rationale applies to joint debts held by folks who get divorced...the divorce court can't force a credit card company or mortgage company to remove one person's name from the obligation.0 -
One of the best things I got was a Futon because if I needed more space in my room, I could flip it up into a "couch".I'm moving out in about two months into an apartment with a room-mate (already know her well but she is not a best friend so we aren't breaking that rule lol) I will have written agreements on everything and will also have both names on the lease so neither of us can get screwed over.
If you could go back in the past and tell yourself not to do or buy something, what would it be. Or if you could tell me anything what would it be? I really need some great tips, cheap decorating ideas and clothing. Anything you can throw out there for me would be great!0 -
um, just because both of your names are on the lease doesn't mean you can't get left holding the bag. I'm an attorney and one thing I do is landlord/tenant work. If your name is on the lease, you are responsible for the entire rent. Your rent payment obligation does not reduce in half simply because a co-tenant moves out. The landlord can, and generally does look to everyone who signed a lease for payment in the event of a breach. Sure, you would have the ability to sue your co-tenant for an equal contribution...but that's not going to help you avoid eviction, a judgment for damages, or the credit hit....and its going to cost money to sue the co-tenant who might not have anything to contribute monetarily.
someone else suggested that if you move out, make sure your name is taken off the lease. This often is not possible because the landlord has to agree to take you off the lease...and if this does happen, it should obviously be in a writing signed by the landlord. Anyway, let me explain why this generally does not happen. if a landlord has 2 folks on the hook for an obligation, why voluntarily release one of those folks from the obligation? the fact that you and your roommate may no longer be getting along doesn't mean anything to the landlord. landlord is about getting paid and with 2 folks on the hook, there is a better chance of that happening. This same rationale applies to joint debts held by folks who get divorced...the divorce court can't force a credit card company or mortgage company to remove one person's name from the obligation.
Great advice, if I have any issues I know who to ask! I did know it does not save me from paying all the money but knowing she is on the lease and held accountable puts alittle ease in my mind. 0 -
This is where I got royally screwed (landlord suing us.) Take pictures at move-in (dated) and move-out. They tried to pawn some damages off on us that were there originally. It turned out when we went to court we were in the right but since my hubs went alone and I was on the lease but out of state at the time we ending up having to settle and pay half the damages.0
-
Best...Idea...Ever...
One of the best things I got was a Futon because if I needed more space in my room, I could flip it up into a "couch".I'm moving out in about two months into an apartment with a room-mate (already know her well but she is not a best friend so we aren't breaking that rule lol) I will have written agreements on everything and will also have both names on the lease so neither of us can get screwed over.
If you could go back in the past and tell yourself not to do or buy something, what would it be. Or if you could tell me anything what would it be? I really need some great tips, cheap decorating ideas and clothing. Anything you can throw out there for me would be great!0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.7K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions