How to find your perfect Glasgow flatmate

Limited budgets, rising rents and lower disposable incomes means more people in Glasgow are choosing to share a flat rather than rent one exclusively for themselves. This short article aims to give you some ideas on how to go about finding your perfect flatmate.

First decide what kind of person you want?

Deciding on the type of person you are looking for is an important first step. For example, if you are a student, maybe a fellow student will be ideal; if you are a night-shift worker, your will need someone who won't be around during the day keeping you awake.

Write down a a description of your perfect flat share candidate - and a list of the sort of people you don't want. You might not find someone who fits your description perfectly, but you are likely to be closer to that ideal than if you hadn't carried out this exercise.

Things to consider when writing your list:

• Are you tidy or untidy? Would you be driven crazy by the a flatmate who leaves everything at their feet. Or is that the sort of person you are yourself?
• Do you have religious, political or cultural prejudices?
• Are you looking for a man or a woman?
• What age range will you be most comfortable with.
• Are you looking for a flat-mate to share your social life with - or just someone who will help pay the rent and be invisible the rest of the time?
• Are you looking for someone with similar interests as yours - similar taste in music?

Beware of attractive strangers

Don't choose someone you find sexually attractive. You might end up having a relationship with them - that turns sour. Sharing a flat with and ex-boyfriend or girlfriend could make for a very uncomfortable existence.

Write down your unwritten rules

If you have a set of 'unwritten' house rules that you live by - write them down and then tell prospective flatmates what they are - before they move in. House rules could include things like - taking turns to take the rubbish out, when the the communal stairs get swept (if there are any), the washing up rota, any out-of-bounds areas of the flat or house and rules relating to breakages, deposits and so on.

Start the hunt for potential flatmates

There are not shortages when ti comes to people looking to share a flat. Find potential sharers using websites like the one you are on (you can post ads looking for a flat-make and look at other peoples flat-mat hunting ads), by looking at ads in shop windows and via your network of friends; remember to tell them you are looking for someone to share your flat with.

If you end up with a flatmate you don't like

It's odds-on that even with the most well organised search you will at some point have a flatmate you don't get on with. if this is the case, don't let things fester, take action as soon as possible to resolve any issues.

• Speak to them about the things that are bugging you - they might not even be aware there re problems.
• Cut yourself and them some slack - nobody's perfect and everyone is a human worth of respect.
• Search for advice on resolving conflicts and getting on with people you don't like. There are plenty of books and plenty of articles on the Web that could help. Just doing this king of constructive action makes you feel more in control and can make the problem seem less insurmountable.

Good luck with your hunt for a perfect Glasgow flatmate.

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