Yes, I’m looking for a new roommate. Yes, this is something that is taking up a great deal of my time and causing me a lot of stress at the moment. No, it is not the only thing I have going on in my life right now. When the phone rings, I cannot be expected to divine by telepathy that it is a prospective tenant calling in response to my ad in the paper. Nor should you be surprised that somebody has actually answered the phone. That is what phones are for. You should be ready to state your name and business instead of sitting silently for ten seconds while I say “Hello … hello … hello?”
OK, so I didn’t hang up on you, even though you were doing your best impression of a telemarketer, and now you have an appointment to see the apartment. My current roommate and I have gone to the trouble of cleaning the place up, staying indoors on a lovely Sunday afternoon, and keeping the phone lines free in case you need to call for directions. YOU could have the common courtesy to show up, or at least to call and let us know you can’t make it.
And you – the other guy, who e-mailed me well over a week ago, so I know you have my contact information. Yes, I told you that I’d be free to show you the place on Monday or Tuesday, gave you a wide range of times when I’d be available, and asked you to e-mail me back and let you know when you were coming. That was an invitation for YOU to name a specific time, not a statement of my intention to stay home for 5+ hours a day on the off chance you’d decide to grace us with your presence. Please do not knock on the door at quarter to ten on Monday morning without first TELLING us you’ll be here at quarter to ten on Monday morning. My roommate was still asleep in the room we’re trying to rent out, and you’re bloody lucky I was even home to let you in. (And while I was foolish enough to tell you when you could come back, you are NOT going to be renting this room, because I’m damned if I’m going to live with somebody who lacks as much common courtesy as you do.)
What a drag. I would tell them to name a time. Then tell them you only have 1/2 or whatever to show it so BE ON TIME. If they don’t show, don’t reschedule…they are rude and obnoxious and not good roommate material. Hope you find someone soon.
I have plenty of experience with the very thing you are talking about. Being a rental agent for student housing in the university town I live in.
I feel your pain. I’ve been doing this for many years now and have learned a few things, though school’s never out when it comes to dealing with people.
There is a very simple solution, ask for their phone number. Write it down. If they ask why you want it, tell them you have several appointments to show the place and want to be able to call if it rents before they get a chance to see it.
Sounds good and they’ll comply, I promise. It seems such a little thing but it makes a huge difference. Once someone has your phone number it seems you’ll be a little more likely to show up or call and cancel.
It’s the exact same technique that restaurants use to keep people from making reservations and then not showing up. A phone number, what a brilliant invention.
Clearly there are ways to circumvent this but most people aren’t thinking like that.
Give it a try, you will not be disappointed, I promise.
And just to keep your spirits up, 20 yrs ago I rented a room in an apartment, and one of those roomates became my closest friend. 20 yrs later, she is still my closest friend though we live 10,000 miles apart. I shudder to think what if I hadn’t aswered that ad?
Thanks for the suggestion, elbows. I’ll try it next time. (Although I doubt it would have helped with the flake who showed up at 9:45 this morning, since he’s a first-year student in the same grad program I’m enrolled in, so we’ll have to deal with each other again in any event. Sigh.)
And yeah, I know having roommates can be wonderful – the one who’s leaving is. I miss her already, dammit.