apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I've had so many roommate issue I wrote a column about it for a proto-home-blog back in the 90s. From the girl who couldn't remember to lock our door in the newly gentrifying neighborhood in brooklyn, to the to the girl who gave me a hand-me-down pair of pants, asked how they fit and when I told her they were perfect she replied

"can you believe my a$$ was ever that big?!"

I've had my fair share of horrors. IMO, living with girls bites. I've been living with my now husband since 2000 and I am much, much happier.
www.henryandmae.blogspot.com

i have a major crush on my straight guy roomie. he makes it hard to live with since he likes the attention and loves to flirt with me. it's both heaven and hell all at once.

i had a jack and jill bathroom with one roommate and she refused to close the 'her' door when she had sex. it was so uncomfortable laying in my bed and night knowing what she was doing but also desperately having to pee. obviously, i went in and closed the door - sometimes inconspicuously, sometimes not depending on my annoyance. but she was a friend of a friend of a friend. i've had great experiences too!

In the past I tried using both craigslist and roomates.com, and I'd reccomend anyone searching for a roomate avoid the latter. Most of the responses you receive are from someone requesting you send them your contact information and info about the room since you have to pay to see their description as the listor and as the person looking for a room. Nothing was more annoying than having already paid for the month of service or whatnot post and then have people who just applied randomly even if they didn't meet your qualifications that they could see (male applying for a female only, or someone who just wanted something for 2 months when it was in the year long lease area) and getting requests for you to call/email them because they didn't want to pay to see what was being offered fully.

The absolute WORST roommates are friends. Of the "friends" I had as roomies, one stole checks out of my checkbook to try and cover our rent for 3 months because she had used it to pay her medical bills, another was a musician who's girlfriend moved in in his stead so he could "tour" and instead she let him stay in the room for 3 months rent free, and then they both proceeded to get mad at us when we served them with notice to terminate tenancy. Those friendships all crashed and burned...

My best roommates are from Craigslist. I've always had the pick of the litter when I post up there and I keep ending up with cool, responsible people who treat their living partners with respect.