Family members are living together more often these days! The number of Americans residing in multigenerational family households continues to rise. But forget Grandma. What about your sibling?
Weigh the pros and cons before you decide to sign on the dotted line and bring back the glory days of your youth.
Pros to Living with Siblings as Adults
You’ll probably save some money.
Living with a roomie is a great way to take a load off your wallet, whether they’re your sibling or not. You two can split the rent, utilities, cable, Internet, groceries, and more. If you combine your forces for good, you’ll be able to afford a much nicer apartment than you could if you decided to fly solo.
You know each other.
Forget the awkward “getting-to-know-each-other” stage. You know your sibling, warts and all. That means no unpleasant roommate surprises, like an exotic pet or drum practice at 11 PM! You can be comfortable with each other because you know what to expect and you’re both aware of the other’s quirks.
You don’t have to be passive-aggressive.
Roommate leaving dishes in the sink? Making a ruckus after 2 AM? Conflict resolution can be an awkward topic of conversation between two people who barely know each other. But with a sibling roommate, disagreements tend to get resolved much more… efficiently. Chances are, if you have a problem with the way your sibling roommate is behaving, you won’t hesitate to say so.
You’ll share stuff.
Sharing is nothing new to anyone with siblings. But when it comes to apartment life, this might be useful. You can share everything from shampoo bottles to cooking spatulas, and probably save a little money along the way. You can also share the fun experiences and the hardships of moving to a new place!
You trust each other.
Trust is a huge deal between roommates. Lack of it can lead to a pretty unpleasant living experience. If you’re living with a sibling as an adult, you’ve already got a built-in trust system. You have someone to talk to if you’ve had a bad day or if you need advice. You’re a team conquering the great big world together.
Cons to Living with Siblings as Adults
You have less privacy.
If you’d rather be a mysterious recluse who never reveals what’s going on behind the curtain, living with an adult sibling may not be for you. Lack of privacy is an issue with any roommate, but one who’s known you from birth will likely sniff out your shenanigans even faster. Worse yet, they might tell mom!
You could get stuck in a rut.
Life is all about growing as an individual, meeting new people, and experiencing new things, right? It’s tough to leave the comfort zone that a sibling provides. If you decide to live with them, there’s a possibility you’ll revert to childhood antics and fail to expand your horizons. Make sure you keep this in mind and talk about it with your sibling before you move in together.
You might fight a lot.
Some things never change! If you and your sibling fought like cats and dogs when you were kids, history might be doomed to repeat itself. You may love each other dearly, but that doesn’t mean you have to share beliefs, values, opinions, and personalities. Moving in together might not be the best idea if you don’t get along.
You could have family drama.
Family drama can be a real bummer, especially when you live with a sibling. It can sour your living situation in the blink of an eye. You don’t want any drama.
You may run into money issues.
Think approaching a roommate about late rent sounds awkward? Imagine doing that same thing with your adult sibling. Kicking a stranger to the curb for not paying the bills is one thing—but when it’s your sibling, the situation gets more complicated. Talk about these issues beforehand to avoid them down the line.
Ultimately, you and your sibling should talk about each of these pros and cons before renting an apartment together. At ApartmentSearch, we may not be able to help you find the perfect roommate, but we can help you find the perfect apartment. Use ApartmentSearch.com to see all of the latest apartments in your area and refine your results by amenity, price, number of bedrooms/bathrooms, and more!
