Questions to Ask a Potential Roommate: Checklist & Red Flags

A flatshare works or fails on things nobody thinks to ask about until they have already become a problem: who pays the electricity when the prepaid meter runs out at 11pm, whether "my cousin is staying a few days" means three days or three months, what happens when one person's job moves them to another state. One honest conversation before anyone moves in prevents almost all of it. Here is what to cover, whether you are the one with the room or the one moving in.

Money

• What exactly is the monthly figure, and does it include bills or not?
• Which day is rent due, who is it paid to, and is it paid to the landlord or to a flatmate?
• How are electricity, water, waste, internet and generator fuel split — equally, or by room?
• What did those bills actually come to last month? Ask to see a recent one rather than an estimate.
• Is there a deposit? How much, who holds it, and what has to happen for it to come back?
• What happens if someone pays late — is there a grace period, does anyone cover for them?

Daily Life

• What time does everyone leave and get home? Opposite schedules can be a feature or a nightmare.
• Guests: how often, how late, and how many nights before a visitor counts as living there?
• Partners staying over — the single most common flatshare argument, and the one nobody raises early.
• Is food shared or separate? Shared shelves in the fridge, or one each?
• Cleaning: is there a rota, does someone come in to clean, and who pays for that?
• Smoking, alcohol, pets, music and noise on weeknights.
• Does anyone work from home, and is the living room fair game during the day?
• Religion, prayer times and anything else where a house needs to be quiet at a set hour.

The Flat Itself

• Who is named on the tenancy with the landlord, and when does that tenancy end?
• What is the power situation — prepaid meter, generator, inverter, solar — and what does it cost to run?
• Water: borehole, tanker, mains? Who orders and pays when the tank is empty?
• How many people share each bathroom, and is there a queue in the morning?
• Security: gate, guard, who else has keys, and how safe is the walk home at night?
• Who fixes what, and how quickly does the landlord respond when something breaks?
• Is there a service charge, and is it in the figure you were quoted?

The Exit

• How much notice does each side give before moving out?
• If someone leaves mid-lease, who covers their share until the room is filled?
• Who chooses the replacement — the person leaving, or everyone staying?
• How long has each current flatmate been there, and how many people have come and gone in the past year? High turnover tells you something.

Red Flags

• Vagueness about money. Someone who cannot tell you last month's electricity bill either has not been paying attention or does not want you to know.
• Pressure to pay before you have seen the flat, or a deposit demanded in the first conversation.
• You are not allowed to meet the other flatmates before agreeing. You would be living with them; there is no good reason for this.
• Nobody will say who is on the tenancy, or the person letting the room cannot show any link to the property.
• The last three flatmates all left within months and nobody can explain why.
• Rules that appear only after you commit — a no-guests policy mentioned on move-in day was always the policy.
• Payment to a personal account with a name that matches nothing on the paperwork. See our scam-avoidance guide.

How to Actually Have the Conversation

Chat first, in writing, so you have a record of what was agreed — on ShortRent that happens in the app, before anyone commits to anything. Then visit at a time when the current flatmates are home, and meet all of them. Ask open questions rather than yes/no ones: "how do you handle guests?" tells you far more than "is it okay if I have guests?". Answer honestly yourself, too — overselling how tidy you are just delays the argument. When you have agreed, write the answers into a roommate agreement so nobody has to rely on memory.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I ask a potential roommate before moving in?

Cover four areas: money (the exact monthly figure, what bills come to, deposit terms), daily life (schedules, guests, cleaning, noise, shared food), the flat (power, water, security, who is on the tenancy) and the exit (notice period, what happens if someone leaves early).

Is it rude to ask a roommate about money?

No — it is the single most important thing to be direct about, and anyone reasonable expects it. Ask for last month's actual bills rather than an estimate; a flatmate who is uncomfortable answering is telling you something useful.

What are the warning signs of a bad flatshare?

Vagueness about bills, pressure to pay before viewing, not being allowed to meet the other flatmates, nobody willing to say who is on the tenancy, high turnover with no explanation, and house rules that only appear after you have committed.