When you have just graduated from college and tried to use your entry-level salary to squander your rent, finding a roommate seems to be a good choice. However, although roommates can save you rent, if they forget to pay half of the rent, or voluntarily pay the utility bill on your behalf, they will also damage your credit score, not. So if you find yourself looking for a roommate, keep in mind that a bad roommate may mean bad credit in the next few years.

Check your roommate carefully

Roommates will not only hurt you financially, but you may not want to live with someone who doesn't want to share your attitude toward cleaning, overnight guests or paying on time. Ask questions about your habits and ask your roommate for a letter of recommendation. Talk to your friends about their questions about roommates and combine this list with your own questions. Be sure to list these questions.

  • Have you been late for rent, credit card or installment payment? Because your potential roommate may not have an apartment before, you want to find other ways to measure your responsibilities. Asking questions about credit card or car loan payments can help fill these gaps. (See the six major credit card errors for more information.)
  • What do you think is clean? What is your cleaning program? The words "messy" and "clean" mean different things to everyone. How many times have you walked into a friend's place, and this place seems perfect to you, but let your friends forgive the confusion? You need the details of this habit to decide if you are a roommate.
  • What kind of guests are you going to invite? Some people like to take home new friends they meet at the party. If you only bring people you know to go home, you need a roommate to maintain your rules.
  • Are you in touch with your former roommate? Staying intimate with your former roommate shouldn't be a requirement, but it may tell you if your potential roommate gets along well with others. If the answer is "no", you want to ask what the reason is, so that you can decide whether the previous situation is minor or something that will bother you in the future.

Ready to pay the full rent

This doesn't mean you have to have a lot of money in the case of temporary payment of rent, but you should have enough money, you can barely pass an skeleton emergency budget for at least one or two months until you find a new one roommate.

Especially if you are the only person on the lease, your roommate can leave at any time - leaving you a full rent. Even if you are on a lease, our roommates may still leave the apartment or lose their jobs. When you find a new roommate, the rent will not be put on hold. (Do you have enough savings to cover the cost of an unforeseen crisis? We show you how to plan ahead and build a contingency fund for yourself.)

Responsible for each bill in your name

If any bills are opened in your name, then take the copy of your roommate and pay the bill yourself. Late payment and/or final payment notification may not match your credit rating. One way to avoid asking for rent and utilities every month is to set a monthly amount that your roommate will pay you, including rent, electricity, cable, telephone and other shared bills. If your roommate has forgotten the prescribed amount, ask him or her to pay a bill from his or her checking account to pay you.

Don't move when the bill is still in your name

If you are leaving in the summer, do not keep your electricity bill or any other bill in your name. With the permission of your roommate, change it to the name of your roommate. If you move away, don't expect roommates to send you back cable boxes or other things. You may be stuck on the bill for anything you are legally responsible for. (Avoid penalties for late fees and use these 10 tips to keep your credit score complete, see the procrastier's bill payment guide.)

If you move out, remove your name from the lease

If you don't take your name off the lease, you will still be responsible for the rent, whether you live in the apartment or not. The problem with this situation is that your apartment office may not let you delete your name before the lease expires. If your name cannot be deleted, please keep it until the end of the lease. However, if you are moving out of work in another city, consider the cost of breaking the lease so that your roommate can start a new lease in your apartment or in your apartment.