Roommates

Many students choose to live with a roommate for financial, social, or other reasons. Before you start searching for a roommate, review the information below to determine what qualities you are looking for in a roommate and if having a roommate will work for you.

Roommate Search

The Office of Residence Life maintains a Roommate Networking Database where you can browse for roommates. This service is available only to USF students and is free of charge. 

USF Roommate Search

Some additional resources you can use to find a roommate include:

• Craigslist: sfbay.craigslist.org
  Craigslist has a "Rooms & Shares" section where you can find people looking for a roommate to share a unit. You can also use the "Housing Wanted" section to post information about yourself and the property you are hoping to secure.
• Academic Department

  Students may contact their academic department to see if they have a list of other students in the program who are seeking roommates.

• www.roommates.com
• www.roomiematch.com/san-francisco-roommate.html
• www.easyroommate.com
• www.roommateclick.com/california/san-francisco-roommate

Roommate Interview

One of the first steps to finding a roommate that is right for you is to determine your own style of living and compare it to the style of living of your potential roommate. Have an open conversation with your potential roommate to get to know each other better and share lifestyle preferences. Below is a list of a few questions to ask each other:

• Living Habits:

  Are you messy or clean?
  How long do you typically spend in the bathroom getting ready in the morning?
  Do you like to wake up early or stay up late?

• Personal Habits:
  Do you smoke? If not, can you live with a roommate who does?
• Social Habits:
  Do you tend to be quiet or more outgoing?
  Do you like to have friends come over frequently?
• Pets:
  Do you have any pets? Can you live with someone who does?
  Do you have any allergies to pets?
• Background:
  Have you ever lived off-campus before (in an independent lifestyle environment)?
  If so, do they describe their experience as positive or negative, and why?
• Financial:
  Are you financially reliable?
  Do you have a job and control your own finances (have your own bank accounts)? Or is someone else (e.g. parent) going to be paying your bills?
  Have you ever had utilities or phone bills in your own name?
• Conflict Resolution:
  If one roommate has a lifestyle preference that the other disagrees with, what steps would you take to address the concern?
  How do you plan on communicating your concerns to your roommate?

DISCLAIMER: THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO PROVIDES INFORMATION REGARDING HOUSING IN THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE ONLY. THE UNIVERSITY MAKES NO REPRESENTATION AS TO THE CONDITION OR SUITABILITY OF ANY OF THE LISTED RESOURCES OR ESTABLISHMENTS, NOR DOES IT ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR CONDITION OR RELIABILITY, OR FOR ANY AGREEMENTS YOU ENTER INTO WITH THEM. THIS WEBSITE IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE, AND IT SHOULD NOT BE USED AS SUCH.