With the exception of renting, the most common topic for fights between roommates tends to be cleaning. While the Odd Couple may have made for good entertainment, the reality is living with someone who is much cleaner than you or much messier than you is a hassle that we can all live without. When one person has cleaned so much more than the other that you believe it should impact how much of the security deposit goes back to one person, you have a critical issue that needs to be settled right away.

If both parties agree to it, mediation, with your landlord or building manager acting as peacemaker, can be a safe way out. Both parties plead their case and the mediator can render a decision that both parties agree to adhere to prior to the discussion. Using a landlord as a mediator can also be used for several other monetary disagreements that might arise during the year.

Of course, if one person put down the entire security deposit and the other person contributed nothing, there really is no discussion as to who gets the entire deposit back. If the person who paid the deposit isn’t interested in cleaning up, then they have made their own bed and now they have to sleep in it. If you are the roommate that did clean, and you want to ensure that you can use that landlord as a reference, simply explain the situation and see what they say.

While studies have shown that just about everyone experiments with drugs at some point in their life, there is a difference between experimentation and abuse. If you feel that your roommate has a dangerous substance abuse problem, you need to take action quickly, not just for your own safety but for the well being of your roommate, as well. Here are a few things you can do.

First, try talking to them about their problem and see what they say. As is the case with alcoholics and other similar addictions, many people believe that they can stop if they want to and that they aren’t really “addicted.” Make sure you express how you feel and don’t frame it as you are concerned about your safety, tell your roommate that you are concerned about them and see what they say. If you feel that you aren’t making any progress here, you can try something more drastic.

Depending on how well you know your roommate and your roommates’ friends, you can try for an intervention. Simply gather your roommate’s friends one evening and wait for your roommate to get home. Once he or she arrives, have everyone in the room talk about how the addiction is changing how they feel about your roommate. For many, an intervention is a life changing experience that can lead to real recovery down the road.

As a last resort if you feel an intervention is not working, try calling the police if you feel that their addition is to an illegal substance that is in the apartment with you at that moment. This will likely force them into rehab, but it will also give them a criminal record. However, you don’t have to live in an unsafe environment, and no one will blame you for what you did if you gave your roommate several changes to fix things on their own.

Every year, a new word or two makes its way into the English language. This year, staycation, or a stay at home vacation, has been a popular term thanks to the fact that fewer and fewer of us can afford to leave home and travel this summer or this holiday season. Just because you can’t afford to jet off to your favorite destination doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your hard earned vacation. Let’s take a look at some common sense staycation options when you have to share your home with a roommate.

Unless the two of you are very close, you probably won’t be enjoying your staycation with your roommate, which means you are going to have to be considerate of the fact that your roommate is still going to have to get up for work while you are relaxing at home. This doesn’t mean that you can’t kick back and enjoy yourself, however. Try doing things only when you have the place to yourself, such as moving furniture around or having a theme day where all you do is watch your favorite movies.

One of the best parts of going on vacation is eating at new and exciting places. Chances are, no matter how small the town is that you live in, there are a few places you have never tried before, so why not go out to eat several nights in a row to sample some new things. You can even take your roommate or a significant other out with you and pretend that you are far away from home.

Going on vacation is a state of mind. If you set your mind to it, you can have a wonderful time away from work anywhere, even if that means having a staycation this year instead of a real vacation. The only thing holding you back is your imagination.

Finding a roommate who already has an apartment can be both a blessing and a bit of a curse. You don’t have to worry about moving in at the same time and you don’t have to worry about deciding who gets what, but at the same time, it can be like moving into a strangers home where you feel like an intruding visitor and not someone moving into their own home. Here are a few tips you can follow to find roommates that already have apartments.

In most cases, people use one of two avenues to find roommates that already have apartments: friends and work. Both of these routes can work just fine since you know your friends and already trust them to a degree, and you know many of the people you work with. After all, at least they are employed and able to pay rent and bills. By simply asking around your circle of friends or posting a note on a community board at work, you can likely get several leads that can be pursued within days. Make sure you clearly communicate any requirements that you need before you agree to move in with someone as you don’t want any problems later on.

If friends and work contacts fail, you can try places like Craigslist, assuming you live in a city with a large enough population to have a CL page. There are also a plethora of roommate websites where people in the same city can hook up and live together.