Older roommate or younger roommate: Which do New Yorkers prefer?

By Georgia Kral | November 21, 2016 - 1:45PM

When it comes to real estate in New York City, anything goes. A bedroom with no windows? Happens all the time. A view of a brick wall? Sadly, yes. And when it comes to roommates, there’s even more to consider.

Last week, we asked New Yorkers if they preferred a super-messy or super-clean roommate. This week, we’re asking about age, namely whether they'd rather live with someone significantly older or younger than than them (we just learned that 1 in 7 roomates in NYC are over 40, after all!). Surprisingly, some felt age didn’t even matter.

The rest? Read on:

Don’t want to go through that again! I think older. It'd make me feeling younger. Plus, I don't know if I could deal with younger people problems anymore. I have enough anxiety about getting my life together after 30 to listen to someone going through all of that! —Nell, Williamsburg (pictured below)

Millennial clean-up, no way. I’ve never had a significantly older roommate, but I think I would go with that. I’ve had roommates who were more than 10 years younger than I was, and cleaning up after them was really irritating. —Caroline, Astoria

No teens allowed. Hmm. Older, but it would be good if we had separate spaces. I’m 22, so much younger, they’d be like a teenager. So that wouldn’t work. —Nicole, Bushwick

That's ageist! Depends on the individual. Would you ask, "Do you prefer a black roommate or a white roommate?" Discriminatory implications here. —Sheila, Midtown West

Age is just a number. This is hard to answer. I don't know that age would be a major factor for me. As long as we had similar temperaments and values about the space, either. —Dana, Bushwick (pictured below)

Respect my boundaries. I’ll go with older. They’re more experienced and they’ll understand boundaries, which you really need with roommates in this city. —Joshua, Bedford-Stuyvesant

Not anyone’s mother! Older. Young people and millennials, no. Some people don’t know how to clean up after themselves or they think their mother still looks after them. —Irena, Flatbush

Verdict: Older roommates for the win!

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