How to Find a Roommate at ASU (Without Getting Burned)

Finding a Roommate at ASU Without a Horror Story

Every ASU student has a roommate story. Some are funny in retrospect. Some are not. The difference between a good roommate situation and a bad one is usually how much work you did before you moved in together — not luck.

Here's how to find a roommate at ASU who's actually compatible with you.

Where to Find Roommates Near ASU

ASU List is the obvious starting point — free, student-focused, and the listings are local. You can post that you're looking or browse people who are also searching.

Facebook groups like "ASU Off-Campus Housing" and "ASU Housing, Subletting, and Roommates" are active and have high volume, especially in spring semester when everyone is locking up fall housing.

The ASU subreddit (r/ASU) has regular roommate search threads.

Roomi and Roomies.com are apps built for roommate matching. They have ASU-area listings but feel more transactional than the student-specific options.

Your major's GroupMe or Discord: If you're in engineering or business or any program with active student chats, people post roommate searches there constantly. These are often the best leads because you already have something in common.

What to Actually Ask Before Saying Yes

This is where most people skip steps. Don't. Have a real conversation — video call if you haven't met in person — and cover:

Sleep schedule and noise: Are you a night owl? Are they? A 7am person and a 2am person sharing a wall is a problem.

Guests: How often do they have people over? Significant others? Are parties okay?

Cleanliness: What's their standard? "Clean enough" means different things to different people. Be specific.

Study habits: Do they need silence to study or do they work with music or TV? Does that conflict with you?

Shared expenses: How are groceries, toilet paper, dish soap handled? Who buys what? This sounds minor until it isn't.

Temperature: Sounds trivial, but fights about thermostat settings are very real.

Green and Red Flags

Green flags:

Asks you questions about your habits (shows they're thinking about compatibility)
Has references from previous roommates
Is clear about their schedule and commitments
Responds promptly and consistently to messages

Red flags:

Vague or evasive about lifestyle ("I'm pretty chill" tells you nothing)
Bad-mouths all their previous roommates without exception
Wants to sign a lease immediately without meeting first
Won't do a video or in-person meeting
Has a chaotic communication pattern before you even move in

The Money Conversation

Before you sign anything together, get explicit about money:

Who pays what portion of rent (equal splits are simplest)
How utilities are split
What happens if one of you can't make rent
Whether you want to be on the same lease or separate leases

At ASU's student-focused complexes, individual leases are common — each roommate signs their own lease with the landlord, which limits your liability for each other's rent. This is safer than being co-signers on a joint lease.

After You Move In

Even with good pre-move-in communication, things come up. Set expectations early:

A shared chores system (a simple rotating list works)
A communication norm (text vs. in-person for issues)
A way to address problems directly rather than letting them fester

Most roommate conflicts come from small things that weren't addressed early and built up over months. The students who navigate it best are the ones who can have slightly uncomfortable conversations early rather than waiting until someone is actually angry.

The Bottom Line

Finding a good roommate is mostly about doing the work upfront. Use ASU List and your own networks to find candidates, then actually vet them with real conversations before you commit to sharing a lease.