Have extra space in your home that can be used to create a rental income stream and a friend in need of a place to live? Before long, the conversation inevitably turns to a discussion about becoming housemates.

It may sound like a perfect idea to live with someone you already know – and for some it can be – but being a landlord to a friend who is your tenant could also have long-term consequences on your relationship.

On the plus side, renting to a friend usually means they will be more apt to be respectful to your home and property. Also, since there’s likely a mutual respect there, there’s less of a chance that they’ll be late making rent payments.

On the other hand, if there’s discord between the two of you because of the close quarters or housemate disagreements, it could damage your friendship. There’s also the possibility of a friend taking advantage of your relationship and being consistently late with rent payments, using your items without asking or other transgressions.

Here are some steps you can take to ensure your friendship endures when renting to a friend.

Agree on Common Ground Rules

It could be your friend from childhood, but if you’ve never lived together, you don’t necessarily know how to live together in harmony. Often times, friends assume their living habits are the same, but one may be less tidy than the other, more likely to have their significant other sleep over, watch TV into the early hours or take hour-long showers.

Also, many people are working at home these days and, if that’s the case for both of you, it’s imperative to carve out workspace and work hours.

It’s best to meet up front and determine things like bathroom time, buying and sharing food, stocking toilet paper and other household staples, who parks where, how to use common closet space, help with pets, lawn upkeep and entertaining.

While it’s ideal to capture this in writing, a formal contract could feel a bit overboard for most friends. One good way to go about it is to email back and forth about your preferences and find common ground – this way it’s captured in print but doesn’t come off as if you don’t trust them.

It can also be effective to set up a shared calendar that captures everything you’ve agreed upon with regards to travel schedules, guests, pet sitting, etc.

Work Out a Fair Rental Amount

Just because it’s a friend doesn’t mean you should be losing or not making money on the deal. Chances are that you’ll end up feeling resentful.

Determine what a fair rental agreement looks like based on what you’re paying and how much your friend is saving. You may want to give them a “family and friends discount” – particularly because the long-term rental stream may be more steady since you’re knowingly compatible and comfortable together, although you shouldn’t have to make a monetary sacrifice either. Also, be sure to collect a security deposit so you’re not out of luck if any property gets ruined.

Make the Tough Decision on Running a Credit Check

You may know your friend’s favorite musical group or meal at the local restaurant, but there’s a high chance you don’t know the ins and outs of their financial standing. Here’s where you have to make a tough decision about whether or not to dig deeper into their finances to ensure they’re able to cover their monthly payments and bills.

Do you run a credit check, or does that put you in ultra-awkward territory since friends and finances don’t often mix? It may depend on the nature of your friendship. For some, it’s not an uncomfortable request to make, while for others it may be.

If you’re in the latter group, but want the assurance, you could casually ask if they’re in a good financial standing and see what kind of information they offer up. It could also be that it’s something your homeowner’s insurance or other third-party requires, which could greatly ease your comfort level when making the request.

Sign a Lease

Just as you would with any other property, make sure to enter into a lease. There are state-specific leases widely available for free online that you can download and customize. The lease is a good place to account for things such as rent increases and property damage, so those don’t become contentious points-of-discussion because the terms are understood.

Ask a lawyer or another third-party to do a final review, so you’re getting an objective set of eyes and minimizing the chances of disputes down the line.

Divide Bills Down the Middle

When it comes to utility, internet and cable bills, a good rule of thumb is to divide them down the middle. At the end of the day, if someone has a few more toilet flushes or leaves a couple of lightbulbs on in the afternoon, it’s not going to make a significant difference in the bill rates.

It can be a whole lot complicated and prickly to try to assess more of the charges to one person over another every time a bill comes. Even if just one of you is working from home regularly, consider the tradeoff that comes with that.

The housemate working outside of the home will have the peace of mind that packages won’t be sitting exposed on your porch all day, that your pet will likely be getting some human attention and that someone will be there to greet the handyman.

Make a Plan to Head Off Issues

Conflicts are bound to arise when you live with someone under the same roof, but more is at stake when it’s a friend. Bottling up any annoyances over time can eventually lead to explosive arguments and inflict long-term damage on your relationship.

It’s important to keep a constant, open flow of communication to avoid festering issues. Remember that shared calendar? Put in a designated check-in date and make it happen – grab coffee or a bottle of wine or cookies or whatever and meet up to chat things through.

Pay respect to your friendship by making a pact that you’ll bring up any issues, even if they seem small. When you do connect on things, keep a sense of humor and assume positive intent. This will keep you from getting needlessly too deep or frustrating one another.

And don’t forget to look at yourself in the mirror too. Can you think of anything that you could possibly be doing that’s annoying? Chances are that you’re not the perfect, ideal housemate, so make sure to acknowledge your part in any homesharing challenges too.

Taking on a housemate – even a friend – shouldn’t be taken lightly, since this is feasibly someone you’re spending more time with than a significant other or family member. If you run into bumps in the road while negotiating terms of your rent or living arrangement, it just may not be the right time or the right friend.

If it’s something that doesn’t feel comfortable, don’t take that chance and let them know from the get-go that this is a possibility. However, there can be great joy, companionship and memories made when you live with friends, so don’t rule it out when you have a room sitting unoccupied.

Do you have extra space in your home? Have you considered taking in a friend as a housemate? What might be stopping you? Have you had a home-sharing experience with friends or non-friends? How did it go/how is it going? Let’s hear from you!

You know how you can flip through a calendar and certain dates jump out at you because of their personal significance? For me, November 8th never did, that is until the night I found myself under the blaze of emergency room lights in a hypertensive crisis.

I wondered how I ended up in the hospital as the emergency room nurse attached electrodes to my chest for the continuous EKG.

Oh, that’s right, my mother was dying and there was nothing I could do to stop it. My marriage and business were in crisis. And my acting career was about to take off, but there were no guarantees it would succeed.

It’s true, I certainly had felt the increasing weight of the stress, but the real reason I was in the hospital was because I didn’t feel it was important enough to take time out to care for myself.

I did what so many of my generation were taught to do. I kept my nose to the grindstone, eyes focused on the task at hand, and I plowed ahead.

Rewrite Your Life Story

With the doctors believing I might die, I knew something had to change. Unlike my past, this would not come from a flurry of non-stop activity.

The question, “Now what?” rose up, leaving me with little answers as to what my life would be like moving forward.

In the weeks following my release from the hospital, I found myself immersed in deep introspection, searching for some answers. That is when I first heard the words, “rewrite your life story.” It was spoken to me from that place I had come to know as my inner, authentic self.

All I could counter with was, “How do I do that?”

Growing up, few of us were given a manual for how to rewrite any part of our life story. And fewer still were granted the support and encouragement to work through the emotional baggage that was steadily building up as we grew older.

Not surprisingly, when massive change is afoot in our life, the question, “Now what?” doesn’t always open a floodgate of answers. And if you are anything like me, the initial silence can be scary.

Living Under Imaginary Circumstances

Despite the success I had enjoyed in my life, going to the hospital re-introduced me to a hidden truth. I was not living truthfully in my own life, as I had been living under imaginary circumstances. My upbringing had not prepared me for what I was going through, and neither had my schooling.

In moments of great change, everyone has their own set of coping mechanisms. Some turn to religion and pray while others lean on spirituality and meditation. And some gravitate to destructive vices to medicate the pain.

For me, I found myself learning to make conscious choices through a valuable set of acting tools. I had never thought about how acting tools could translate to real-life situations, least of all my own. Following my intuitive instincts, I felt it was as good a time as any to put them to use in the reality of my personal life.

3 Acting Tools for Being Still and Present

Here, then, are three fundamental acting tools that are easily applicable to making positive changes to any area of your life you choose.

Be Still

This requires slowing down the mind and the body, which helps you abstain from confusing activity with accomplishment. Great acting performances are less about staged activity the audience may see, and more about being still, especially prior to the director calling for ‘action’.

In your own life, this translates into not always feeling inclined to take physical action right away to get what you want. By being still, both in mind and body, you create the space for the answer for what to do next to gracefully show up with little to no resistance.

Be Present

Acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances. An actor that is fully present in the moment is aware of being vulnerable to the power and emotion the script evokes. This only happens when actors are in the present moment, and it directly applies to real life.

In your own life, this translates into being in tune with what your inner critic and inner, authentic voice are sharing. In so doing, you become aware of what emotions are serving your desires and supporting your intentions for change, making it easier to take inspired action from a place of empowerment.

Be Receptive

For an actor to authentically portray their character, they must be in a state of receptivity during each scene. This means being open to what shows up in the moment. For instance, improvise if need be, but always flow with what is unfolding rather than being rigidly stuck to what was in the script.

To get present with any part of your life you seek to change or improve, means being open to embracing each moment without trying to control it. At first, this can be a little uncomfortable. The more you practice being open to receive what is coming up for you the easier it will be to rewrite any area of your life.

What difficulties have you gone through recently? Have you found yourself emotionally and mentally exhausted? How did you put a stop to it? Have you been taking better care of yourself since? In the comments below, I invite you to share your personal experiences with how you have applied the aforementioned techniques while navigating change in your own life.

Heather Gay’s Black and White Animal Print Jacket While Tubing

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 2 Episode 7 Fashion

Forget Sasquatch, the only kinda animal we’re intersting in seeing appear on the mountains of Utah is some cute animal print like Heather Gay’s black and white printed ski jacket on last night’s episode of RHOSLC. Whose stock unfortunately appears to have already gone down the tubes, however you can still totally rock a Style Stealer of this winter “tits out,” in, or however you want.  

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to See Her Asos Design Jacket

Click Here to Shop Her Louis Vuitton x Supreme Backpack on eBay

Click Here For Info on Her Sunglasses

Click Here For Info on Her Boots

Originally posted at: Heather Gay’s Black and White Animal Print Jacket