People Are Sharing "Red Flags" For Roommates And A LOT Of Them Are Way Too Familiar

"Congratulations! Now you're his mom."

Ah, roomies. If you've lived through your twenties, chances are you've had to deal with a few. They don't all tend to be...perfect.

Madman Entertainment / Via giphy.com

And sometimes you see it coming! We can all get wise thanks to Reddit user u/ShallowTits, who polled the internet: "What are 'red flags' for roommates?"

Here are some of the top answers (think I've lived with a few of these folks myself...).

1. "In their ad, they say they are 'no drama.'"

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"If they are really no drama, they won't have to announce it."

— [deleted]

2. "Mom moves him in while he watches."

"Mom sets his room up while he stares into his phone. Mom shops grocery and cooks it for him while he complains he's hungry. Mom fills the fridge with pre-cooked meals while he eats. Mom cleans up everything and leaves. Congratulations! Now you're his mom."

— u/juicius

3. "Drinking habits are a big one."

Simon Winnall / Getty Images

"If you have a roommate who's alright sober but always a problem drunk, consider having to deal with that every time. I've had roommates who were great except their drinking was too much.

Another is expectations. My old roommate thought we'd be that household that goes out every weekend and has grill nights. I just wanted someone to pay rent. While it didn't cause major problems with me, our third roommate was roped in a lot of social events he didn't like, and [it] caused a great deal of tension."

— u/Lennsik

4. "If friends of your potential roommate come to you and ask if you've really thought this through, and mention that maybe you don't know this person as well as you think you do."

"Listen to those people." 

— u/Eshlau

5. "If they don't have the same cleanliness standards as you, things will get a little rough."

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"It will eventually lead to either someone doing all the cleaning work (whoever the cleanest of the bunch is), or lead to some big argument as things come to a head. Unfortunately for me I had a roommate who changed his habits based on the laziest person in the room. When he and I first moved in together, we both kept things very clean.

Then our third roommate moved in, who is the dirtiest person on the planet. We thought, 'How bad can it be?' It was fucking awful. My original roommate stopped cleaning because 'so-and-so doesn't clean either,' making things 2 to 1 against my standard of cleanliness, which is a pretty average/normal standard IMO.

The house got so disgusting that my girlfriend basically stopped coming over. I eventually confronted them, had some huge shouting match, and the friendship hasn't been the same since. I stayed until 11 p.m. cleaning that place on the last day there, simply so I could get my security deposit back. They had left at like 3 or 4 p.m. Which leads me to another point: If possible, don't be the one who put up the security deposit. That person is the only one who has something to lose based on the condition of the place. If possible, split the deposit equally."

— [deleted]

6. "If all of their previous roommates were crazy/inexplicably hated them/forced them to move out/sociopaths/assholes/Satan worshippers, that's a HUGE red flag."

"Similar to a romantic partner." 

— u/ostentia

7. "If you live with a friends, expect every one of their flaws to go up by a multiple of at least 5X."

Bill Varie / Getty Images

"They always are down to drink? Guess what: Your house is going to be a party house. Is their car a mess? Guess what: Your house is going to be a disaster. Is their homework always late? Don't be surprised if the rent is late too. And with family, make that 10–20X.

Whatever character flaws they have usually become exaggerated as a roommate."

— u/HarrysonTubman

8. "If someone decides the best way to communicate is via passive aggressive Post-It notes placed strategically about the apartment."

"You should consider finding a new place."

— u/hellomina

9. "When they bring their dates back to your room without telling you in advance."

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"Then lock you out in the hallway so they can have privacy." 

— u/Back2Bach

10. "Ask if they own any non-stick cookware. Ask to see it."

"If it's not all scratched to hell, it's probably safe to leave yours in the kitchen for shared use. Otherwise, if it has a single scratch in it or if they don't own any, yours needs to stay under lock and key."

— u/Dear_Occupant

11. "Adult children. They're easy to spot and must be avoided."

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"Or you'll hear things like, 'I shouldn't have to pay rent; I only stay in my room.' After catching them red-handed preparing and eating my food: 'Well, I thought it was OK now; you gave us food last night...' Or, my favorite, every time they heard a lighter flick, they'd be in my room in less than 30 seconds: 'Oh, are you gonna smoke a bowl? Can I join?'"

— u/gnyrt

12. "Differing political beliefs."

"I'm not talking, 'Oh, I disagree; let's have a slightly heated debate.' Those roommates are cool. The one's I'm talking about are the, 'If you don't agree with me, you want another Holocaust,' people."

— [deleted]

13. "Did they move in with a barbell and 45 plates, but the whole house is hardwood floors, and they live on the second floor?"

Westend61 / Getty Images/Westend61

"ARE YOU DROPPING WEIGHTS ON THE WOOD, YOU FUCKING IDIOT?!"

— u/FlexualHealing

14. "Draws a line across the room. 'This is my space, and that is your space.'"

— u/Sumtinkwrung

15. "If they answer questions with questions, don't want to talk about themselves, or are intent on controlling the conversation, these people are just trouble."

"I'd avoid them. They're the type who, when you ask them if they would mind turning their music off earlier or using headphones or turning it down after a certain time, will reply with, 'Why are you so demanding? How come we have to do it your way?' They take any request for change on their part and spin it into you being unreasonable. Avoid."

— u/the_supersalad

16. "If their smell enters the room before they do and sticks around after they leave."

— u/lanismycousin

17. "Kind of too late to call, but if there's a fight on move-in day, the whole thing is going to be a fight."

Betsie Van Der Meer / Getty Images

— u/Anna_Draconis

18. "Doesn't have a job and isn't looking for one."

"This is based on my personal experience."

— u/diaperedwoman

19. "My cat would piss on this one couple's clothing every time they left their clothes on the floor."

Volanthevist / Getty Images

"She only has ever done anything like that to them, and I've had several roommates.

Turned out I ended up hating them later. Good job, cat; you tried to warn me."

— u/Arcian_

20. "Zero sense of humor."

— u/tjpj1919

21. "People who are coming from mom and dad's house for the first time."

"You just never know what they're used to having other people do for them."

— u/smeg_m4h

22. "'I like to party occasionally; hope that doesn't bother you...'"

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"...means, 'I play loud music and have people over all the damn time.'"

— u/foreverburning

23. "Literal flags would be one for me."

— u/naryn

24. "While talking to you looks at their ringing phone and says, 'I'm going to ignore that; it's just a collections agency.'"

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— u/frustratedomega

As someone who's had more roommates than I can count, I think my biggest red flag was a living room full of clutter when I checked out the place...there was no room for me there except in my tiny bedroom. Bah!

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Read the whole red-flag Reddit thread here. Do you have roommate signs you wish you noticed sooner? Let us know in the comments!

Note: Some answers have been edited for length and clarity.