For students and young adults, sharing a home or apartment with friends or other young adults can be a great social opportunity as well as a practical way to save money on rent and utilities.
However, a variety of complications and misunderstandings can arise when the responsibilities or managing and paying for a home are shared amongst several people. It is important to be aware of these complexities so that individuals preparing to live together can try and work out some of these difficulties ahead of time and avoid conflict down the road.
- How will payment be divided? Will all tenants split the cost of rent and utilities equally? Will tenants with a larger bedroom pay a larger percentage of the rent?
- How will the rooms be divided? Can one room house multiple tenants? Is each tenant allowed to do whatever they want while in his or her room, or will the house want to set certain rules about what can or cannot be done in the house? For example, is smoking allowed in an individual's room?
- How will food be divided? Is each person responsible for buying and cooking his or her own food or is food communal? Will everyone share cooking responsibilities together?
- How will chores, such as cleaning and taking out the trash, be divided? Would a schedule be beneficial for communal responsibilities?
- How do all tenants feel about potentially "offensive" or "objectionable" incidents and material? For example, are parties allowed? How do the other tenants feel about overnight guests? About alcohol?
If you are beginning an Austin home search, or if you would like more information on renting property in the Austin area,
contact the
Austin real estate agents of the Carvajal Group today by calling 512-419-7770.
