Room Mate Interview Questions

Off to university or college for your studies and looking for a home?Have a flat and want to share with a flatmate? If you are you may need to prepare for roommate interview questions.

My nephew is hoping to be going off to University in the Autumn(Fall) and he was asking me about accommodation. He is concerned if he does not get into Halls Of Residence that he will be looking for a student flat to share. We started talking about what he needed to look for in student accommodation, what roommate questions he might be asked and questions he should ask himself as a potential new flat or room mate.

This page is a product of that conversation about preparing for roomate interview questions. I hope whether you are a seasoned student or a brand new "Fresher" it will help people who are starting out with flat or room sharing accommodation.

Image credit Amazon.com. Available to Buy -Knack Dorm Living: Get the Room--and the Experience--You Want at College (Knack: Make It easy)

Making A Good Impression At Your Interview For A Room.

Your interviewers are unlikely to be professional or even particularly experienced interviewers but they will unconsciously take note of your body language.

Most people make up their minds about someone in the first few seconds.

Ever heard the expression "there are no second chances to make a first impression"?

Be on Time!

If you want to make a good first impression then get there on time, you may be only one of many being interviewed that day. If you are late , you may not get an interview.

Wear comfortable smart casual clothing you are comfortable in. Although this is not an interview for a job or a place at a University, you still need to look like you care.

Smoking/Drinking-probably best not to do either. If you are offered a cup of coffee then you could accept but steer clear of alcohol.

Smile! It goes a long way :)

Try to have relaxed open body languague so sit with your legs relaxed or just crossed loosly, your hands and arms relaxed and NOT crossed over your body.

Just be who you are. Remember no matter how much you need the accommodation you are going to have to live with these people in this flat 24/7 so make sure YOU like them/it as well!

Do not just try to fit in so you will get the place. You wont be able to keep up the facade and will soon be looking for somewhere else so just be honest and upfront from the off.

Ask Questions About The Student House.

You need to know if you will be comfortable living in the house in the area and living with the other students there.

1. Ask to meet the other students in the house. Which courses are they doing? What are their interests too?

2. How will bills be paid?

3.How is the cooking/cleaning etc shared?

4.Is there any parking? (if you have a car)

5.Will I have to share a room?

6.Is there a code for holding parties etc?

7.What are the security arrangements in the house eg door keys

8. Is there a rota for tasks?

9. Are pets allowed?

10.Is there internet access/WII FI? If so in which rooms?

11.Can friends sleep over?

12. If there is a dispute over bills(or anything else) how is this settled?

13. What is the landlord/landlady like?

14. Who does the garden? (if there is one)

15. Are repairs dealt with quickly?

16. Who buys the TV licence? (UK)

17. Are bikes allowed in the house? If not where do you store them?

18. What insurance is there for accidental damage?

19. Does each person get a copy of the accommodation agreement?

20.Is my deposit helds in a secure account and how do I have it returned to me?

21.Is there a penalty if I leave early? You need to consider that if you do not complete your course or do not like living there.

22. What is the minimum/maximum rental period?

The room mate or flat mate interview process.

Sometimes you will be interviewed by the landlord/lady and it may be owned by them but not be their home.

Sometimes a student/worker may be the landlord/lady and you will be living in their home with them.

They may be very close in age to you or older.

These are some possible questions that may come up.

1.What course are you doing?

2.Why did you choose ths city/town?

3.Have you roomed before?

4.What music do you like?

5.Would you be willing to share a room?

6.Are you Ok with (list of pets they might have....)

7.Do you like to have your friends over?

8.Have you got a car?

9.Do you drink?

10.Do you smoke?

11.Do you do drugs?

12.When are you looking to move into a flat?

13.What are you interested in?

14.Can you provide any references?(You should have at least 2 people who you have asked and have agreed to be a referee for your student house hunting)

15.Will you want/need to stay over the holidays? (While many students do go home or go travelling in the holidays, you may have a part time job to help with expenses that you want to continue doing over at least some of the holidays)

Practice your roommate interview.

Like most things practice them and you get better and more familiar with them. Same goes for being interviewed for a room mate.

When you have drawn up a likely list of questions you might be asked, prepare your answers for them. Then ask someone else- a friend, your sister, your dad etc to ask the questions in no particular order.

Making Choices About Where You Live.

It can be daunting moving to a new city or state and looking for a student flat or house. Here are a few things to bear in mind.

*Is the house on a public transport route?

*How much will it cost travelling to and from your University?

*Do you have any additional needs you want to bear in mind when choosing accommodation ie accessibility.

*What is the area like-during the day/at night?

*What is there to do in the area?

*What are the local amenities like e.g. shopping/laundry/bars/pubs/eating places?

*Does the area feel safe to you ?

*How clean is the flat/house? Check for any undesirable room mates-like rodents!

*Is the area recommended by previous students/the student union?

Check up on the owner of the house.

Check with the student union/student body if there have been any complaints against the landlord of the flat you are thinking of sharing.

This can save a lot of heartache...

I have chosen a few links to get you started.

It is particularly worthwhile looking at the accommodation sections of any student union website. Most universities will have one.

What were your experiences as a student looking for accommodation?

Are you looking now? Do you have any concerns or things to share?

I do read all comments and would love to hear from you.

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Thank you