Having a housemate can help reduce your household costs. It can also be a chance to make new friends and expand your social horizons. But how do you find a housemate in the first place?
Here are some suggestions.
Online classifieds
Searching online is a successful way to connect vacant rooms with willing housemates. If you're advertising, there's usually a fee for a fixed time period and you can usually upload photos of your place and the room.
Places where you can post housemate wanted ads and browse through other people's ads include:
These are only a few suggestions. Do a search online to see what other classified services you can find.
Personal networks
Let your family and friends know you're looking for a housemate. The advantage is they come with a reference and you'll know a bit about your new co-tenant before they move in.
Noticeboards
Depending on where you live, your local café, bookshop or supermarket may be the ideal place to pin up a notice describing the room you have available.
Universities and TAFEs also have formal or informal places where fellow students look for vacancies. Drop into their student union building and have a chat with someone about the best place to put up a housemate wanted notice.
Be persistent
It might take a while to find the right housemate for you, but it pays to keep on looking. For more about housemates, check out these other pages on Youth Central:
Good luck, and may all your housemates be good ones!