If you’re a student or young professional, you’ll probably spend a number of years living with people. You’ll either be flat sharing or in student accommodation. You’ll be living with people just because you all have to, basically because rent is high, and you can save a lot of money by sharing. The down side to this of course, is that you have a handful of people who may or may not start off as friends, who all have totally different maps of how the world should work, sharing a living space. This will often lead to pointless arguments, and kitchen – feuds.
Here on some tips on sharing a living space from someone who has pissed a lot of people off by accident. Be wise. Learn from my mistakes.
1. DON’T BOTHER SHARING FOOD COSTS
It always seems like a great idea. It always breaks down after a few weeks, and it usually results in an argument, followed by everyone agreeing to not share food costs. Save yourself the time and energy.
2. SHARE THE COST OF CLEANING PRODUCTS AND TOILET ROLE
Everybody uses these equally, even if not everyone does an equal amount of cleaning.
3. ALWAYS CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF
You may not have particularly high cleaning standards, but you can guarantee someone in your flat does. Everyone has a different limit for how much mess and cleaning they will tolerate.
4. SET CLEAR BOUNDARIES
This will happen naturally as the year goes on, as each flatmate accidentally annoys the other. Nobody wants to purposely get on your nerves, so it will serve you to kindly show them what boundary to not cross.
5. KNOW THAT IF YOU HAVE NO BOUNDARIES, YOUR FLAT-MATES PROBABLY DO
They might mind if you go into their rooms, eat their stuff, use their computer, even if you wouldn’t mind them doing that with you.
6. IDEALLY GET A CLEANING ROTA AND STICK TO IT
If everyone cleans one area of the flat/house once a week, you’ll keep it in pretty decent shape. If not agree to get a cleaner in weekly to do the communal areas and split the cost.
7. IF YOU’RE LIVING WITH A DIRTY PERSON…
They’ll probably be part of the generation of men raised by women, who haven’t learned to clean their stuff up. They’ll be of two types. Either they’ll be willing to learn what they’re doing wrong and how to build better habits, or they won’t. Find out, and decide how much you’ll tolerate and if it’s worth you living somewhere else, given the recent blogs on how your environment effects your mind.
8. AGREE ON BILLS AT THE START OF THE YEAR
It’s probably best to put each one on a different person’s name, so everyone has a stake in paying on time.
9. NEVER PUT ALL YOUR NAMES ON ONE CONTRACT
This is a landlord scam to take advantage of students by making them stay in the flat for as long as possible. It stops you from leaving with one month’s notice, because your current flatmates will have to pay your rent and/or find a replacement.
