Who should I live with?

Before you meet your new potential housemates, draw up a list of issues that are important to you, and ensure they are willing to discuss them.
It's important to discuss:

- How you will split and pay for external bills, including gas and electricity (for example, will you set up a shared house account, or will you each pay cash to one person whose account the direct debits are paid from?)

- Whether you will share food (otherwise don't be surprised if everyone helps themselves to whatever is in the fridge!)

- Whether anyone has specific dietary requirements (vegetarians may be reluctant to share plates and utensils with meat eaters.)

- What are they like around the house? (for example, do they like to share cooking duties? And, just as importantly, will they help wash up afterwards?)

- What their favourite pastimes are (for example, are they party animals who go out drinking until the early hours of the morning?...and, if they are, do you mind?) Similarly, assess whether they are likely to be noisy (this can be bad for postgraduates doing a lot of studying at home).

- Remember that, now you're, away from your own family and friends, your new housemates are your easiest way into a new life and culture ...so ask yourself honestly whether you are a good match. Share living frustrations openly and divide chores up equally. There's nothing worse than coming home from a long day of lectures to find last week's dirty dishes piled up in the sink.