Being a first-year international student, I did not have hometown friends, or friends of a friend to share housing next year with. I also found out that not everybody from my friends from classes and clubs were on the same page about living costs, chores, and schedules.
From AMS club members to housemates - 2nd year.
In October of my first year it seemed like everyone around me started going to the house viewings and signing leases, which pressured me into making a mistake - singing one too. I signed a lease with friends from one of the university clubs, with whom we had shared interests, spent a lot of time together, and had similar experiences in our households growing up. Does it sound like all the important factors were checked out? Not really. We had a different approach to communicating our wants and needs, and did not realize that our personalities were still on the path of formation, despite the fact puberty ended years ago. We still shared a great time, but next year I decided to live alone.
From strangers to housemates - sublet.
Going on exchange abroad I did not want to sign a full-year lease and decided to sublet. I knew the people I was subletting from since first-year, another AMS club; but I did not know their roommates at all. It ended up working better, since we had no relationship to ruin on the table and could communicate more freely whatever we liked and disliked in the ways we took care of the house or managed our time.
From friends of a friend to housemates - 4th year.
After living alone on exchange, in my last year I wanted to have roommates again. Not only to save costs, but genuinely to have people to share a house with. Getting to know people better earlier gave me an opportunity to learn their ‘housemate’ profile better from an outsider perspective. By year 4, I started focusing on things like whether they prefer to go party in the middle of the week or stay in, whether they clean weekly or whenever it gets dirty enough to irritate them or someone asks them to, etc. When I overheard that my friend’s friends are looking for another housemate, knowing they have a similar approach to managing their household as me, I signed the lease with them immediately, and it has been the best!
To summarize, I would highly recommend not to rush into signing leases with the people you are unsure of as a good housemate match for you. Also, do not be scared of singing a lease with someone you do not know well personally. Know well, what is important to you and see if they think the same.