Just because you already know the people you're thinking of renting with and you enjoy socialising with them, it doesn't naturally follow that you will enjoy living with them. It's important to select the people you're planning to live with carefully, because personality traits that seem like foibles when you're in the pub can easily be very irritating when you're living with them all the time.
Choose trustworthy friends
Although you may be sharing a property, you must make sure that the people you live with will bear their responsibility for the costs of the rental. This is not just the monthly rental, but the bills and associated costs. It's worth knowing that you're all responsible for the bills, so if one person defaults, the rest will be held liable for making up the payments. If you volunteer to be the person who's named on the bills, you will be liable for the full amount whether or not your rental-mates pay up.
Agree some basic rules
Even if you know each other really well, it's useful to draw up some basic rules that you all agree with. This helps to avoid arguments over cleaning, bill payments and other day-to-day occurrences. Put the rules on a poster and display them somewhere visible to remind people of their obligations to the house.
Review
Review your circumstances and those of your friends during you rental period. They may find partners who change the dynamic of the house, or you may find that you would prefer to live on your own for a while. If anyone is thinking of leaving or introducing a new person to the house, there should be a discussion and agreement so that no-one is left in the lurch.
Renting with friends can be one of the best things you do if it's managed carefully.
