Whelp, the day finally arrived.
About 2 months ago, word came to me that a coworker that I get along with particularly well and his girlfriend, who I also like and also works part time with us, weren’t getting on so well with their roomies and in need of a new abode. So I discreetly inquired and made an offer of letting them live with me. Seemed like an ideal thing, still does in fact. I get help with household bills and they get a bigger room and when their share of the bills and rent is totalled up, for maayyybe half what they were paying before.
We just moved their stuff in, and now that they’re off to return the uhaul, I’m double guessing myself.
I’ve grown accustomed to it just being me and the Vaderling (on alternate weeks) over the past year.
What have I done indeed.
I’m sure it will be fine. Mr. And Miss Roomie are good people and if I didn’t think it would be ok I wouldn’t have offered.
But damn, I never had cold feet like this before, not when joining the army or getting married, well maybe when getting out of the army, but I don’t remember it being this bad.
Wish me luck, cause if this goes bad, it’s going to be very bad since Mr. Roomie and I are one of our companiy’s A-Team Match-ups for larger projects and Miss Roomie ain’t no slouch either at work.
I hope it goes very well! Try to find a balance btwn clear, timely communication and choosing to let unimportant annoyances not bother you. It’s not easy to have someone else share your space, but they have experience doing so and I hope that will help all of you get along great!
Good luck, and may a life-long friendship develop.
But be careful…
You were, till now, co-workers. I assume that means all 3 of you had equal status.
Now, you are their landlord. Which means you are their boss, in a sense.
You are no longer 3 equals.
And if you separate, there will be ramifications at work, too
I would suggest doing a “pre-nup” agreement, in case there’s a divorce later.
It’s not too late. But you should probably do it NOW, and not 6 months from now.
Welcome them into your home, but make it clear that it is still yours, and will remain yours.
Agree with everybody that if it doesn’t work out, you are the “boss” who will make the final decision about renewing the lease, and promise to do so amicably.
(and maybe even , on the side, consult a lawyer.Do laws in your state grant special rights to “squatters” after, say, they’ve lived there for several years?
Also, check your insurance…does it cover rental property?
Also, decide–now— who washes the dishes.
And what happens if somebody wants to adopt a pet.
Food. Always here the stories of the missing ice cream or yogurt. Beer being drank by someone who didn’t purchase it. Make kitchen rules a top priority.
Augh, i said i was never getting married again you guys! The DETAILS of this
Actually, most of that I already worked out have written down, well typed, in a rental agreement, in triplicate, one for them one for me and one to signed and filed with the county recorder as a public document. Ok now, slow yer jets on that last bit. Public document, wtf Dork? Why in hell would you make a private matter public business? It’s a way ti make sure there is always a copy available. Besides if you don’t have the file number, the county will tell you to piss off, they aren’t going to try a brute force search of a data base of possibly millions of documents of mostly county business for one private citizen single page paper
I agree that setting clear expectations up front works the best. If there are any special requirements around the DorkReplicant(s) staying with you, make sure they understand them. (No bongs on the table, or no R movies, or no nuts/peanut allergy - all that good stuff.)
Try not to sweat the small stuff, and hopefully this is all a very good thing. You could take turns with dinner prep or shopping for example. Carpool seems a likely option. I can see some real benefits to the arrangement.
In my favor, it was the girls that were fighting at their previous place. So of course it made things weird for the guys who were not fighting.
I ain’t got no worries about Miss Roomie and the ex fighting, and in fact…uh nevermind
Food, they have their own mini fridge. as they have eating habits distinctly different from mine I don’t see food being a problem often enough if at all to merit getting worked up over it. We como pretty good.
And happily even though we work at the same place, and together often, we work different projects from each other a bit more than together which save the weird question of ridesharing and keeps us from being around each other all. The. Time.
Oh, and cleaning of common areas, the rule is simple, pick up after yourself, don’t leave your damn socks stuffed down in or under the couch and I just ordered a dishwasher which will be here in a couple weeks. Um, yard work will be mine and Dorklings area but help won’t be turned down.
I don’t care who runs the vacuum once a week(ish) as long as it gets done. That’s not a particularly strenuous job
Truthfully, I’m not doing this out of my need, even though I get some benefit. I’m doing it because I can and it helps them out. I know he would like to buy a home some day and it ain’t gonna happen on what we get paid with rents being what they are around here. I can help with that, a lot, and still financially benefit.
