People Look for Roommates Who Will Drink Wine With Them, According to a New Survey

Written by

Ana Luisa Suarez
Ana Luisa Suarez
Writer, editor, passionate cat and dog collector."Did I just spend $300 in Target without blinking?" – Phrase most likely to be quoted on my tombstone
published Mar 23, 2019
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When looking for a roommate, there are a lot of important factors that need to be accounted for. Do they have the means to pay their portion of rent and utilities each month? Are they responsible enough, so you won’t have to hound them over little things every day? Are they clean and respectful? Do they have similar interests to you?

If you’re looking for a roommate who is into the same things as you, you’re not the only person. Especially if those interests involve enjoying a glass of wine at the end of a long day. Apparently, people actively are looking for roommates that also like to drink wine. Who would have thought that would be a key factor in finding a roomie?

SpareRoom, a website that allows you to post and contact ads looking for roommates for free, conducted a survey on 6,000 people. They knew that finding the perfect roommate is hard. So, they decided to conduct this survey to see just what 6,000+ roommates and roommate seekers are looking for. An overwhelming 99% of respondents wanted a roommate that is respectful. Because there is nothing worse than a roomie who sneaks into your space and steals your things, right? Well… when it comes to bad roommates, there are actually a lot of things that could be deemed “worse.”

While people wanted a roommate that is friendly, they also equally valued a roommate that was quiet. That might mean some people aren’t looking for a new friend when searching for someone to live with. 1 in 3 people wanted a roommate that has similar interests to them, like baking and exercising. Additionally, 1 in 3 people were looking for a roomie that was willing to share a Netflix subscription. That money can add up!

It would seem many people were also looking for someone to drink a glass of wine with. 25% of respondents would like a roommate that drinks wine and 40% of respondents in their 20s were looking for a roommate that likes to party. Surprisingly, 41% of respondents from L.A. wanted a roommate with similar musical interests, but 70% of New Yorkers didn’t care about this at all. Must be a New York thing!

According to SpareRoom, this is the Top 25 list of things that people are looking for in a roommate:

  1. Respectful
  2. Responsible
  3. Honest
  4. Clean/neat
  5. Friendly
  6. Quiet
  7. Non-smoker
  8. Age
  9. Similar interests/hobbies
  10. Love for animals
  11. Gender
  12. Has furniture
  13. Likes to cook
  14. Similar dietary habits
  15. Similar interests in music
  16. Likes to hosts parties
  17. Single
  18. Smoker
  19. Likes to exercise
  20. Likes to party
  21. Love for plants
  22. Shares a similar sense of style
  23. Likes to bake
  24. Willingness to share a Netflix subscription
  25. Wine drinker

Which of these 25 is most important to you? We definitely think the top five items are some of the most important, because who wants to live with a messy and disrespectful roommate? In a perfect world, our roommates would always do the dishes as soon as they were dirty.

If you need a room, you can look on SpareRoom, or if you have a room to rent, you can list it there. According to the website, every 3 minutes, someone finds a new roommate. They have a team of people checking every listing on the website to ensure safety for all parties involved.