The people you share a house with at University will either be friends for eternity or will forever make you shudder with supressed rage. Potentially, they will be a complete mix of the two and you’ll learn to forgive their quirks. Remember that a little humility is important while student house sharing and your habit of leaving washing up ‘to soak’ and making poor quality tea will irritate others as much as their snoring drives you mad.
Here’s the most basic list of tips on how to be a good house mate. No frills just common, don’t be an idiot, sense.
Be clean and tidy
We’re not sure how much you’ve been pampered at home but here’s how not to be a skank:
- Wash up your pots and anybody’s tea mug that might be nearby.
- If you spill food or knock over the sugar, clean it up.
- Hoover the living room every so often.
- Clean the bathroom after you have used it. Loo brushes, anti- bacterial wipes and Cif were invented for a reason.
- Empty the bin if it’s overflowing or smells.
Don’t invite your mates or significant other to stay. You may not be able to function without your hilarious best mate or new piece but remember they are not on the tenancy and unless they chuck money in for the rent or electricity bills then your housemates won’t appreciate having to wait for them to come out of the shower in the morning or use the microwave at dinner time. This can be a serious issue and grounds for everyone to fall out because they may feel pushed out and made to feel unwelcome in their own home.
Guests should move back to their own digs after two, at the most three, nights. No-one cares if your boyfriend’s house has mushrooms growing out of the carpet and smells of bins as you need to stay there too.
Draw a line
Boundaries are vital to your (and your housemates!) sanity and you may well consider your bedroom a sacrosanct place where you can chill ALONE and binge watch a box set using your student broadband deals. Stick to this rule and only socialise in the common areas of the house.
If your Mum thought it was cute that you ate dinner on the sofa in your pants please remember that no-one else does! It’s gross and you’re putting the girls off their Super Noodles.
Here are some more tips on where you should draw a line:
Don’t sleep with your flatmate in the first few days (or even weeks!). Or ever. It might be the beer, being over emotional and missing home. We get it. Just try not to. Unless you are very lucky and found your soul mate for life on the first day of the rest of your life. This is only ever going to get awkward and neither you or anyone else in the house wants to deal with that. This is especially true when you both fall out and the house becomes a warzone. It’s just not worth the hassle.
Pay what you owe and on time
Shared electricity bills that go unpaid by one particular housemate will lead to drama. If you use Glide Student and their bill splitting service this will never be an issue. That’s because they will organise your bills, share them out fairly and collect the money from your accounts. You still need to make sure you have enough money in your account for each month’s direct debit. Don’t be that guy.
Be well mannered and kind
Living with people can be hard and takes a little getting used to. You may have got away with being grumpy and unfriendly in the morning with your loving family but growl at your housemate when they say ‘Good Morning’ will just irritate and annoy. They will begin avoiding you when with just a little bit if effort you can build solid friendships.
Look after the people you live with. If the girl upstairs is sad because she is home sick then a cheap bunch of tulips won’t cost you much and might just make her day. It’s always the thought that counts and these kind deeds might be repaid when it’s you that isn’t feeling great or are worried about something.
Those are all the tips you need to enjoy life when student house sharing – being kind and understanding are probably the most important as you will be sharing your home with people you need to trust and enjoy spending time with. Oh, and paying the bills using Glide will also make life easier.