Optimal Flatmate
Hygiene
Pretty self explanatory. A person having a toilet that looks something from a railway station is a big red flag. I wish I was exaggerating. Hygiene also extends to things & outlook outside the washroom. For fucks’ sake you are a grown up who possibly earns a good living, just make sure you are clean.
Not a miser
Flatmates tend to have shared experiences. Electricity, Internet, appliances like fridge, washing machine, monthly rent in case people want to rent over buy and so on. And there are costs around maid, cook too. A miser is going to give you a hard time if you end up having the expectation that flatmates share the costs from common things.
Some people prefer to wash their own clothes than invest in a washing machine. Some want to stay 14 hours at work just to grab breakfast, lunch & dinner, thus saving fridge & gas cost. Some don’t believe they need a maid to clean the house, they’d rather have the house be a mess than pay 400 INR / month.
If you don’t have an issue paying for all those things alone and don’t expect the miser to pay for them, only then, proceed with them.
Common lifestyle preferences & tolerance towards individual preferences
Some people drink. Some eat non veg food. Some people smoke. Some people smoke weed. Some people smoke hash. You get the gist.
There are always going to be things you don’t take part in but some one else does. Some of them are non negotiables (for me, smoking in common area as you end up passive smoking) while some you can tolerate.
Shared interests
Okay. You are a grown up living with flatmates. It is ugly and this is always rent driven along with lack of housing for people who want to live alone. Why not make the best of it?
Find flatmates who have some shared interests like you. Imagine living with someone addicted to playing FIFA, watching football, drinking the occasional costly scotch and weekly bear.