How to find a roommate online?

Renting a new apartment is rather expensive, especially in metropolitan areas like New York City, San Francisco or Chicago. Roommates are a great way to reduce your housing costs and meet new friends. There are dozens of online services to help you find a roommate. 

Looking for roommates can be a difficult and time consuming task, but specialized websites will help you find a suitable match faster. They include a description of the apartment or home with the room for rent as well as a profile of the person who is renting the room. 

One of the first things you should check is whether your location is listed with a roommate website. Select your state and enter your zip code (or city name) to see how many members are in your area. If there is nobody, you may choose a nearby region to check. If not, you need to use another online service.

Many "find a roommate" websites provide a free trial or basic level of service. However, roommate search services are businesses, and most of them charge a fee. Sometimes it applies to people who want to rent a room. Sometimes the fee is assessed to users looking for roommates as well as to users with rooms to rent. Read FAQ or About us page to learn more about paid membership. 

Where can I find a roommate? 

There are many roommate search services available on the Internet. Pay attention to the following ones:

•    Craigslist.org. Craigslist is a very popular place for people looking for a roommate. Each state has a listing page for every major city. Check out Rooms and Shares, Sublets, or Housing Wanted. Posting on this site is free. 
•    Roommates.com. Roommates is a large roommate search service which covers thousands of cities nationwide. Basic membership is free. As a basic member you can create a profile, browse your matches and send RoomMail messages. If you want to read messages received from other members, you need to become a Choice Member.
•    Roomster.net. Roomster is a roommate search service where members are matched using their personality traits. The basic account will allow you to create a profile, perform searches, and contact other members for free. A subscription provides an access to a private mailbox. 
•    EasyRoommate.com. EasyRoommate is a popular online service that currently serves 20 countries. You can register, submit 4 photos of yourself or your home, browse ads, send emails to all members and get instant notification of matching results for free. If you subscribe, you will be able to contact all members on the site and post 2 ads within the same account. 
•    RoommateClick.com. RoommateClick is a roommate finding site with thousands of active member profiles and apartment listings around the world. You can sign up, search for roommates and send emails to other users for free. However, in order to read these emails, you need to upgrade to a paid membership. 
•    RoommateLocator.com. This online service is an excellent place for finding a good roommate match. Fill out a quick registration form to create your own profile – it should take you just one or two minutes. You will need to pay a one time fee to view the contact information on most current listings. 
•    RoommateUSA.com. Roommate USA is the leading free roommates search site with rooms for rent and roommates nationwide. Unlike most similar services out there, they really allow you to perform searches, obtain contact information, and post your own ad free of charge.  
•    RoomYou.com. This is another example of a free site. Members can create a profile, post photos, search database and contact posters at no charge. If the roommate you are interested in gives his or her contact information within the posting, you can contact them directly. Otherwise, take advantage of the website secure email form. 
•    Roommates4You.com. This absolutely free roommate search service lists rooms, sublets, apartments to share and shared houses nationwide. It's free to post your profile, browse ads and contact other members. Simply type in the desired location of your new residence, click send and a comprehensive list of all the roommates in this area will come up.
•    ShareRent.com. ShareRent is the place to find people looking for a roommate. Currently there are about 1000 active listings. The site is free to use. Anyone can browse the profiles of members, but in order to respond to ads and create a "Hot List" you must be registered with a valid e-mail address. 
•    RoommateNation.com. This roommate search website will connect you with people who want to rent rooms whether they are in a home, apartment, townhome or condo. You can just enter your state, city and get a list of potential roommates! 
•    GetARoomie.com. GetARoomie is a free site that promises to help you find a roommate or a room without any subscription fees. By filling out just one short form, your account is set up and ready to go. You can upload photos, post videos, contact possible roommates and give as much or little information as you want.

Searching tips

Roommate is the person you will be sharing at least a kitchen, perhaps a bathroom, a hall and definitely your set of house keys. There are a lot of potential risks because this person will have access to your personal belongings, your family and your friends. It is important to know how to minimize the downside of sharing an apartment with somebody else.

Having a roommate might mean you can afford a bigger apartment for less housing costs, but it could also mean a lot of headaches if you don’t do your homework. Before you start your roommate search, determine what type of person you want to live with. Do you want only males or females? Is there a specific age or range of ages you prefer? Do you want to see any pets? Can you tolerate living with a smoker? 

Finding a roommate in which you have much in common with can make living together more enjoyable. However, it is not a good idea to find someone who is exactly like you. If you both like spending hours in a bathroom, you will have problems every morning. 

Arrange a meeting with the potential roommate at the house or apartment so you can look at the place. Be sure to find out which bedroom will be yours. If you don’t feel comfortable meeting a potential roommate by yourself, ask a relative or a friend to go with you. 

When you are meeting with a potential roommate, be honest about your habits and lifestyle. If you smoke, don’t say that you are a non-smoker. If you a messy person, don’t tell that you clean your room every day. Your roommate will inevitably find out about your habits so it will make living together more complicated.

Even though you want to rent a room as soon as possible, try to get to know a potential roommate better. Spend time in a public place, such as a park, restaurant or coffee shop. It is an excellent way to learn if your potential roommate is a good match. 

Finding a compatible roommate can be an overwhelming task, but this experience is worth your time and efforts. The key to success is to be prepared, know what you are looking for, and explore all available options. It will help you make your searching process easier and faster.