Leah Hochbaum Rosner

So your mom/dad/rich uncle Joe was nice enough to sign on as guarantor for the apartment you and your roommate share. Great. Until said roommate falls behind on her rent, that is. So how exactly will that affect your guarantor? And you? Read on:

If you’re in the market for a new roommate and have been trolling Craigslist ads to find one, you’ll probably notice that certain words and phrases seem to appear more often than others. Here are a few of the more common ones, and what they really mean:

Wouldn’t life be easier if a potential roommate were to show you his true colors upon first meeting? Like if he wore a T-shirt announcing his aversion to taking out the garbage. Or showed up drunk and disorderly. Or just straight out told you that he’d never ever have the rent money on time.

Alas, life doesn’t work like that. But here are some other red flags you should watch out for in a would-be housemate (culled from renters, agents, and former roommates in the know):

Whether you’re new to the city or simply don’t make enough to cover the ridiculously high cost of NYC apartments, you’re probably going to need a roommate. But how do you find one? The websites below make finding a new roomie as easy as pointing and clicking.

We hate to be unromantic, but the truth is that in NYC, some couples choose to live together less out of love than out of a desire to save some money on rent. Whatever the reason you're deciding to make this relationship leap, sharing weekly date nights isn’t the same as sharing a bathroom, so you need to have your eyes wide open at all times. Here, some do’s and don’ts to help your relationship survive cohabitation.

Do’s: