How to be the best housemate
by Nathan Colom - 9th March 2018
These golden rules will keep you all happy in your student house
Living with your friends is one of the best things about living off campus. But it can bring some challenges, as well. Everybody has their little quirks, but sometimes there’s some really basic things that mean you can drive each other mad. Here’s some simple do’s and don’ts to avoid all those petty arguments! After all, no one likes dirty dishes, do they?
Do
Tidy up your dishes
This is one of my pet peeves. Before you know it, you’ll be facing a Mount Everest of dirty dishes. And trust me, you’ll put off that climb for as long as possible. Washing up can take two minutes. Do yourself a favour and avoid that mountain! You will most definitely be a favourite in your house if you keep your dishes clean.
Make rules about food
Joey doesn’t share food! This is true of a lot of people, so know where you stand. Some houses like to share everything and some like to keep their food locked away. But to avoid the awkward ‘who stole my last slice of pizza?!’ argument, make it clear whether you’re a sharer or not.
Communicate
This is probably the best advice I could give to someone who’s sharing a student house. Everyone has those days when things get too much; someone gets on your last nerve or you just don’t want to talk. if you’re having one of those days, let your housemate know. People can forgive your bad mood if you just explain what’s going on.
Spend time together
Want to be alone? Why not be alone together? A bit of company might make you feel better, even if no-one says a word. If you’re feeling more adventurous, maybe organise a group outing, meal or film night – start up some house traditions!
Compromise
No one way is the ‘right way’. You can’t have a happy household without some compromise. Not everyone was brought up in the same way, so you are most definitely going to have differing opinions on how things should be done. Talk, talk, talk, don’t just do… or your house may be thrown into World War 3.
Don’t
Leave your mess for days
There’s nothing worse than doing a deep clean of your house while your messiest housemates sit and watch you clean up their mess. If you see your housemate cleaning, why not give them a hand? Two hands are better than one after all.
Create arguments over nothing
Living with others can be difficult, everyone has bad days and if these days collide… boy are you in trouble.
But there’s no point in being over-dramatic (something I am guilty of). Someone use your baking tray and not clean it up? Before your essay-deadline-fuelled outburst, stop and think if it’s really THAT distressing. I speak from experience when I say that 10 minutes later you will find yourself apologising for that ever so slight overreaction.
Forget to replace the essentials
Want to avoid the awkward call out for more toilet roll? Don’t have enough milk left for the morning ‘pick-me-up’ coffee? Make a note of what you’re running low on and don’t rely on someone else to buy it – rookie mistake!
The most important thing to remember when living in a shared house is to have fun and don’t take life too seriously. University can be a very stressful time, little arguments and tensions are normal.
But if you’re really not enjoying yourself there are people you can contact , or if you think you can stick it out until the end of the year just think of all the home comforts when you’re back with mum and dad! Happy house sharing!