Kijiji Roommate-transcript

Intro: It’s that time of year again and landlords are putting pressure on students to figure out what they are doing in the coming months. Students are using creative ways to find roommates and places to live. Madison Reid has more.

Finding a roommate can be stressful.

New online tools such as kijiji.com seem to be the way to go for a lot of students.

Walking down the road looking for signs and taking down numbers seems to be a thing of the past.

Now those same ads are just a click away.

Third year criminology student Julie McLellan hopes to find a roommate this way

“I’m looking for a roommate on Kijiji because next year I’m just gonna focus on school only. And living with friends for a couple of years was very distracting for me.”

Classified ads from around the world can be found on Kijiji, as it covers 13 countries.

Websites such as roommates.com will hit you with hidden fees after filling out an ad.

On Kijiji, it is free to post and view ads, making it easier for students.

Kijiji is now the most used classified ad site in Canada.

When it comes to finding a roommate, doing it online can be risky.

Background checks and interviews are a good way to find a roommate that’s best for you.

McLellan plans to interview her potential roommates thoroughly before making a decision.

“I am a little worried though. ‘Cause you really don’t know what you’re gonna get. It would be nice if someone would post a picture or a description of themselves and what they like…. And the most I can do is interview everyone and see who I like the best.”

There are plenty of ads on Kijiji, both for finding a roommate and when you are looking for apartments and housing for rent.

So no matter who you are, you can find your perfect match.

This is Madison Reid, for STU Journalism.