You’ve made the decision to move to LA or maybe you are just on the lookout for a new roommate and place to live. After surviving two undesirable living situations my first two years here, I discovered the best tips and tricks to find your perfect roommate and location.
So, maybe you just got a job and have two weeks to find a roommate and place like I first did. Or maybe you are living in an Airbnb or staying with a friend. Or maybe you are living out of your car. Hey…the most important thing is YOU MADE IT TO LA LA LAND. That’s the first step!
I’ve lived in LA for almost three years now and just made my third move this year, because I didn’t LOVE my roommate situation or location. Well, they say third times a charm, because I finally couldn’t be happier with my current living situation. Each time I’ve moved I found my roommate and apartment a different way. There are so many options and it really is all a game.
Check out my top six ways in finding your perfect roommate below. I tried ALL of these choices each time I was moving. I recommend getting on all of these platforms and explore your options. Let me know which one ends up working the best for you!
Westside Rentals
A lot of people in SoCal rave about Westside Rentals to find a place to live, but I personally never have experienced much luck on it. I borrowed a friend’s account/log-in because you do have to pay a fee. With a log-in you can access their rentals and what is helpful about this platform is it does make it easy to filter places by neighborhood, price, and any other prerequisites you require.
SafeRoommate
This is a completely new platform that I just discovered and am obsessed with it. There is nothing like it on the market and it’s great for those in LA who are new or have experienced bad roommates in the past. With SafeRoommate, you can create a log-in via Facebook to have access to the online portal. Then you can sign up and attend swanky events and meet multiple potential roommates, in person! The first meet-up event is July 10th.
Roommate Apps
Roomster: This is the app I used to find my first roommate in LA. She was coming from San Diego and I was coming from Chicago. The app is good to find a roommate, but we used other sources to find actual apartments to see. It worked out perfectly because she made a trip to look at all the places we found in person and would Facetime me at each apartment. She picked me up from the airport on a Saturday when I moved, and we went to sign our first apartment. We both started our new jobs on Monday, so we really didn’t have much time to explore too much.
Craigslist
Okay, at first look I was like no way am I going to look on Craigslist, that’s so sketchy. To my surprise, I ended up finding my current place through a Craigslist ad. In Los Anglees, you can look for a single place or for someone that has a place and needs another roommate. I only replied to about five ads and the one I went to see was the one I took.
Facebook Groups and Marketplace
There are SO many groups on Facebook that you can join. Type in the search bar “Los Angeles Roommates” and you can join as many as you want. People post current places or ask for roommates. You can also explore the marketplace and message people directly. In addition, I’m in other LA Facebook Groups and have seen posts for housing there. For example, one of my blogging ones was where I virtually met my second two roommates I had in LA.
The Rental Girl
All the listings are curated by a group of real estate women, so you know you won’t be scammed. I haven’t had luck personally on The Rental Girl, but have heard great things!
Tip: Try to find a short-term lease or month to month lease when you first arrive in Los Angeles. Why? You can do as much research as possible, but until you are here you won’t be able to discover how different each neighborhood is and where you vibe the best. I had two weeks to find a place, so I really had zero time to explore and see what area I wanted to live in. I made the mistake of getting a one-year lease, because I didn’t know how far away everything really was! In addition, maybe your roommate ends up not being who you thought he/she would be like or maybe you have conflicting schedules. Both of those were true for me, but I was stuck until my lease was up. During my first lease I learned where I liked spending most my time (west side) and that I wanted to have a commute no more than 30 minutes to my job so I didn’t go crazy driving in traffic.
A perfect roommate may be hard to find, but doing your research and planning will help you on your search! I love my situation now, but can't say I'm not counting down the days when I can afford to live alone :)
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