Living with a roommate for the first time can be an exciting time, as it is often also your first time to enjoy complete freedom. 

This lifestyle of living separately from your parents' home often affects individuals both socially and financially. Living with a roommate can help cut your living expenses, allowing you to save some cash, while at the same time allowing you to explore the neighborhood with a new friend.

But in reality, sharing your living space with someone you don't know very well can also be challenging. Even as you become closer and better acquainted, if your roommate is causing financial headaches, it can ruin the benefits of having a roommate to split the rent with, and also ruin a new friendship. If your roommate impacts your finances, including your credit, you have a huge problem.

 As renters, if you're both on the lease and bills, you're equally responsible for ensuring that your monthly rent payment obligations are paid on time each month - and you'll share the amount of bills, including the rent, electric, water, sewer, cable and internet. Any bills with your name on it makes you responsible for paying it. If you want to avoid a bad situation with a deadbeat roommate, consider these five ways to help you prevent or put an end to the madness.

If you are on the hunt for a new roommate, be sure to choose one that has something in common with you. Avoiding issues with a roommate is much easier than trying to deal with or fix the situation after they have already moved in. To start, know what you want in a roommate and make a list of what's not acceptable to you. You may not want to allow your roommate to bring pets, to work from home, or to live with someone who smokes.

Don't forget to ask for references. Have them include their employer’s phone number, and also get a rental reference from where they lived prior. Ask the references provided about your potential roommate’s habits and attitude. If you have any concerns, address them right away. Ask about personal preferences and financial situations. A good roommate will probably be concerned, and ask the same of you.

Once you invite a new roommate to live with you, make sure you set the ground rules right from the start regarding expenses and other monthly obligations. Make sure it is clear who's responsible for what, what costs you'll share, and how you'll split the rent. It's a smart idea to also go beyond financial issues, such as rent and bills, and also set a variety of ground rules on sharing cleaning tasks, household chores, and what the policy is on guests staying overnight.

If your credit score is threatened by your roommate's unpaid rent or bills, speak up! Be polite, but firmly give them a reminder of your agreement and explain the consequences if rent or bills remain unpaid. In most cases, this will impact both of your credit, and your roommate will face eviction if rent goes unpaid.

If such issues continue to be a problem, you need to resolve it by asking your roommate to find another place to live and leave. And if the situation comes to a point where you can't do anything more, seek advice from your landlord and look into local eviction rules to see if they apply. Depending on the severity of the situation, you may have the right to sue your roommate in court.

If your finances or your overall situation are impacted by the irresponsible roommate, you may need to move on after being evicted. This situation is a good example of why it is crucial to maintain an emergency fund. If you set aside some savings for the unexpected, you may be able to handle the financial ramifications of paying the rent on your own for a while. If you have such an emergency fund, you can use them to help pay your bills and other expenses that are unpaid by a deadbeat roommate.

While shouldering up someone else's mistakes is not the ideal situation, paying those costs is one less thing to stress about, should you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having a deadbeat roommate.