Whether you have a great living space but need help covering the rent or your current roommate is leaving, when you find yourself in a roommate needed situation, you may feel overwhelmed. There are the logistics of finding candidates to navigate, interviewing potential roommates, deciding on possible fits, narrowing the list to a single person and then there is the matter of living together! Fortunately, if you keep a few basics in mind during your search, the transition from roommate needed to roommate found will be smooth.

The process begins by using a totally free roommate service to generate a list of people wanting to share housing. More than a typical free person finder, roommate services include informative profiles that enable you to identify prospects by location, interests, personalities and more.

What to do next The next step in resolving a roommate needed situation is to contact those whose profiles fit your idea of a good roommate. The best way to narrow down this list is by interviewing potential roommates. The interview process is a good way to get the facts about your possible roomie, but it also provides the opportunity to form a ‘gut reaction’ to the person.

Since interviewing potential roommates involves meeting someone for the first time, it is perfectly appropriate that it occur in public place where you both feel comfortable. It is okay to not provide your address or show your housing to anyone until you get a feel for how compatible you may be. Interviewing potential roommates in public is actually less stressful and safer for both parties. A public setting allows you both to feel at ease, concentrate on breaking the ice and get acquainted.

Making the commitment Once you’ve narrowed the list of potential roommates to one, there are a few more things to do before moving in together. While you hit it off during the initial and subsequent meetings, the daily reality of sharing housing will be much smoother if ground rules are established right from the start.

Before moving day, sit down and work out a set of housemate rules you both can live with. Whether it is specifying who pays for what, dividing responsibility for housekeeping chores or conditions for entertaining guests, write out your terms for living together. By covering these basics in a set of housemate rules from day one, there is less chance of small arguments over dirty dishes in the sink leading to a meltdown.

It is also a good idea to check out free roommate agreements online at this point too. These agreements go beyond housemate rules in that they can specify terms of financial obligations regarding leasing or renting your living space.