We’ve all heard the stories. Just after signing the lease on your first apartment, you look around and survey newfound freedom, and in walks the roommate from hell. It seems like everyone you talk to has had an unpleasant relationship with a roommate at one point; there’s even a shelf of b-movies devoted to the topic at your local video rental store.   Hopefully you’ll never have a murderous/demon possessed/psychotic person sharing your place, but here are a few tips to make sure you don’t become the stuff of roommate legend.

That’s right. Building a good roommate relationship has as much to do with the way you conduct yourself as it does with the other person.  While hopefully you can choose the right person as your new roommate, if you don’t (or don’t have the chance) here are a few tips to get you through.

Remember the golden rule

Being a good roommate is not only about being a good person, it’s key to creating peace in your home.  If you do unto your roommate as you would have them do unto you, your odds for happiness automatically increase.  By doing small favors, clearing up misunderstandings, and treating them with respect, you’ll create an environment where it’s easy for your roommate to do the same.

 Lay down the rules from the beginning

It’s not going to be fun, but if you don’t have this conversation at the beginning, it will be much, much worse later on.  Set clear rules for your apartment.  You don’t have to legislate every aspect of your lives together, but it’s good to set some boundaries from the beginning. Are you going to buy your groceries together or separately?  Will you allow alcohol or drug use?   Who is in charge of taking out the trash?   What about guests?  These are important questions.  Take a moment before the discussion starts to think through your preferences.  Come up with a list of questions so you can set the rules together.