1. My First Apartment And Roommate Peggy Coulter

2. Finding a Place to Call Home  Newspapers Newspaper ads.pdfNewspaper ads.pdf  Ad terms & abbreviations.pdf Ad terms & abbreviations.pdf  Realtors rental listings example.pdfrental listings example.pdf  Family or friends  Housing and Redevelopment Authority  Internet  www.housing.ne.gov/ www.housing.ne.gov/  www.places4rent.com www.places4rent.com  www.wehavejobs.net www.wehavejobs.net

3. Wants verses Needs  Size  Number of bedrooms  Number of bathrooms  Parking  Storage  Laundry hookups or Laundromat  Location  Yard

4. How much rent can I afford?  Income  Expenses  Budget  Ways to track Spending  Reducing Expenses  Do I need a roommate to help with rent?

5. Checking out the apartment  Inspect the apartment  Complete a condition checklist  Record any damages  Sign and have Landlord sign-make copies  Be very specific  Take pictures Rental Condition Checklist.pdf

6. Rental Application  Rental application.pdf Rental application.pdf  Rental application2.pdf Rental application2.pdf  Sample Rental Application.pdf Sample Rental Application.pdf

7. Lease agreement  This is a written contract between the renter and apartment owner. It specifies how much you will pay each month for rent. It also states your responsibilities and the landlord’s responsibilities.  Read carefully  Have an adult help with the lease  Lease Agreement.pdf Lease Agreement.pdf

8. 5 Signs That You Need a Roommate  You come home wanting to talk about your day to someone.  You have no money to yourself or to put in savings after paying rent, utilities and basic needs such as food and transportation.  You hate cooking dinner for one.  You like having friends who know what you look like before you put your face on.  You have a pet and need help caring for it.

9. Tips on Choosing the Right Roommate  Find someone similar to you.  Find someone with whom you can discuss money issues.  Discuss your preferences for inviting friends over.  Discuss how late or early you go to bed and how sound of a sleeper you are.  Ask about pets.  Choose a person for compatibility, not likeability.

10. Qualities to Look For in a Roommate  Trustworthy  Respectful  Cooperative  Friendly  Patient  Compatible  Able to Communicate

11. Questions to Ask Each Other  How clean do you prefer the common spaces to be?  How often do you like to clean?  How uncluttered do you like the apartment?  Do you recycle?  What are your pet peeves?  What is your credit history like? Have you ever been late on rent before? Are you financially responsible?  Do you want and are you willing to chip in for premium TV channels and high speed internet?  What is your sleeping schedule like?  What is your work/college schedule like?  Are pets okay?

12. Questions to Ask -- continued  Are you okay with boyfriends or girlfriends staying over?  What is your ideal common space like? Are you willing to spend money and buy furniture for the common space?  What kind of bedroom do you want? How much closet space do you need?  Is it okay to share cookware? (some people who are vegetarians do not want meat cooked in their skillets.)  Are you willing to share food and each contribute to the food budget, or would you prefer to each have separate and mark the food?  Do you smoke? Do you use alcohol or drugs?  Spend some time with the person in a neutral location (like a coffee shop) and get to know one another’s interests, likes, and dislikes.

13. Roommate Agreement  Think about asking your roommate to sign a written agreement. This puts in writing all the issues you agreed upon verbally. It does NOT replace the lease.  http://www.lawdepot.com/contracts/roo magmt/ http://www.lawdepot.com/contracts/roo magmt/

14. How Do We Handle This?  Video – Sharing expenses  Video - Conflicts with housemates  You and your roommate have agreed to buy your own groceries. You have also agreed to share in the cooking and costs of the meals you eat together. Your roommate had a friend over for a dinner you planned to share. Who should pay for the extra food you will need?  The electric bill was $20 more this month because you left the air conditioner on four times when no one was home. Who should pay the extra $20?

15. How Do We Handle This ?  Your roommate had to get up early on Saturday to take a test for a new job. You and two of your friends stopped at your place for something to eat after a movie. It was only 11:30 but your roommate woke up when everyone laughed too loudly. How should you handle this situation?  Your roommate has a new friend that is very rude to you. For instance, the friend gets into your food and often puts loud music on the stereo when you are watching TV. What could you say to your roommate?  Your roommate has been using your shampoo and soap. You wouldn’t mind if it happened once in a while, but it has been going on for several weeks. How can you handle the situation

16. Credits  Some materials adapted from:  Rentwise  University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension