by KYW's John Ostapkovich
It's move-in day at Temple and LaSalle, and it brings up a host of issues, some of them financial.
Having a roommate is a way to share expenses but it can also share responsibility. An article in the Kipplinger Letter suggests what amounts to a roommate pre-nup. Michael Scales, director of University Housing at Temple, says there are room- or suite-mate agreements to make sure budgetary ends meet:
"There are some shared expenses, particularly when students move off campus, with things such as local telephone, even long distance, cable -- those type of things where there are shared or community utilities."
Food can be a sore spot too, says Scales, if one roomie buys and another eats. But in a larger sense, the Kipplinger article notes, if your name is on something like the lease, this is how you can establish your credit rating, or ruin it, the way you handle these joint expenses.
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