Living with someone in a new city is tough. Finding a compatible roommate in San Francisco can seem nearly impossible, especially if they have different interests and habits from you. You have to be able to share a home, cook meals, and split bills. It's also important to find someone who will get along with your friends or significant other when they come to visit.
However, there are options when trying to find a roommate in San Francisco. You can take advantage of the various resources available to assist you in your search. Here are some ideas about where to start looking for a roommate in San Francisco.
1. Revisit Your Contact List
Start with your contact list. If you have friends, family members, co-workers, or former roommates from college, they might know of someone who is looking for a housemate in San Francisco at the same time as you. You can also post on social media asking if anyone would be interested in sharing a home with you. If you have friends in other cities who are living in a two or three-bedroom apartment, ask them if they know anyone who would be interested in moving to the Bay Area.
2. Use Your Work Connections
Not only can your workplace be a great place to make friends, but it can also be a source of potential housemates. Whether you want to start with current co-workers and work your way up, or you want to ask for referrals from your former employers or colleagues - it's totally up to you.
3. Join Roommate Groups Online
There are several sites online that allow people to find roommates or housemates. They provide different ways for individuals to find compatible roommates, so take advantage of these opportunities.
One popular place to find roommates online is social media. If you are an active social media user, set up a Google Alert for words like "roommate finder San Francisco" or "roommate wanted San Francisco." This way you will be able to easily find people who are looking for a new housemate.
4. Search San Francisco Roommate Facebook Groups
There are several Facebook groups for different San Francisco neighborhoods where people post about looking for a roommate. A quick Facebook search of "roommates San Francisco" brings up several groups that you can join to get the word out that you're looking for a housemate. You can also ask your Facebook friends if they know of anyone interested in sharing a home with you.
Facebook groups and Facebook Marketplace are great places to find roommates when you are looking. In general, the groups are always active and have plenty of people both offering and looking for roommates and spaces.
5. Search Online San Francisco Roommate Sites
There are several sites online that allow people to find roommates or housemates. They provide different ways for individuals to find compatible roommates, so take advantage of these opportunities.
One of the most popular sites for finding roommates is Craigslist. This site is so popular because you can search for housemates in your area and filter the results by price, neighborhood, pets allowed, utilities included, etc. You can post about what you are looking for on Craigslist under "housing wanted" or list your place as a rental and wait for potential housemates to reach out to you. You might also consider checking on Roomster or Roomie Match which both have similar listings like Craigslist.
Craiglist, while it has many ads to find roommates, can make it difficult to differentiate between legitimate ads and scams. You should always be wary when dealing with sites like Craigslist. However, if you are using this site to find roommates, watch out for users who do not use their real names. These types of accounts could be fake profiles that criminals use to steal your information or scam you into sending them money.
6. Find Roommates in San Francisco Using Facebook Marketplace
If you are looking for a San Francisco roommate finder, another good place to try is Facebook Marketplace. You can either search the site by location or you can create a post and say that you are looking for housemates. Be sure to include your contact information so people who are interested in sharing a home with you can get in touch with you.
When you go to Facebook Marketplace, there will be a drop-down menu where you can select the state where you are searching for housemates. You can also enter your city or postal code in the search box if you don't want to use the drop-down menu option. Then click "FIND POSTS" and it will bring up a list of posts from other Facebook users who are offering their spaces as rentals or looking for roommates.
6. Take Advantage of the Roommate Finder
In 2011, San Francisco created a free roommate finder service that helped pair roommates from different walks of life with compatible roommates. For example, you can search for roommates by age or gender, so the roommate finder makes it easier to find someone who has similar interests and values as you do.
San Francisco also offers community workshops where people can learn about tenancy rights and how to be a good housemate. The city hopes that this effort will help lessen the number of disputes between roommates. If you are currently looking for a roommate, it might be worth your time to check out some of the workshops that San Francisco offers.
This service is great if you are looking for a San Francisco roommate or San Francisco housing.
If you live in San Francisco and are looking for someone to share your home with, take advantage of the free roommate finder. It will help you find a compatible housemate that enjoys similar interests as you do.
If you want to move into a place where strangers become not only roommates but also great friends, you can always try living at Tribe! You can find our offerings here, or if you want to know more about what our members have to say you can hear their thoughts on our YouTube channel.
Ready to move in? You can schedule your tour here and become part of our Tribe!