Perhaps the biggest complaint from people who live with roommates is the fact that they don’t seem to have any real privacy. Most apartments are a bit on the small side and it can be frustrating living with a person who you have to share everything with fifty-fifty. There are a few simple things you can do, however, to help keep your privacy secure. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

The best place to start with privacy is at the beginning. As soon as you and your roommate move in together, try to set some basic ground rules for the apartment. These rules can apply to everything from how you designate whose food is whose in the fridge to how you share the common spaces in your place.

Locks are a good way to ensure security, so you might want to think about getting a good lock on your bedroom or private areas if you can. Some apartments have strict rules about adding security features to an already existing apartment, so make sure you check with your landlords first.

If you use a computer that you keep private information on, make sure you password and lock down your computer when you aren’t there. Not only will this help keep your private information private, but it helps to set boundaries between you and your roommate.

Finally, make sure you have some kind of understanding if you are entertaining someone special so that there aren’t any awkward moments.

It wasn’t that long ago that hunting for a new apartment meant buying every newspaper in town and searching the classified ads for the best apartment deals you could find. For those people who didn’t subscribe to the newspaper method, there was always the, “drive around for hours and hopefully stumble upon some for sale signs” method. Today, we have the Internet as the biggest and best apartment finding tool in human history. Here are a few tips on how you can harness this magnificent power to help you find a place faster.

There are basically two different kinds of online search engines for apartments: ones based nationally that have pages for every major city and state and other ones that are local, usually based on the webpage for the local newspaper for that city or town. Both search engines have lots of matches to offer, so make sure you check both kinds when you are looking for a new place.

Another great place to look for a new apartment is on free classified ad websites like CraigsList. You will find thousands of apartment listings for your city or town here, and since the ads can be placed for free, you don’t have to worry about buying anything or paying a finder’s fee like some other ad websites charge. Even though CraigsList is a free website, it offers many search options you can choose from, such as narrowing down your search by rent price and by location.