If you’re preparing to become a university student, it’s likely that you will be living with other people that aren’t your family for the first time. For other young professionals, it might be the cost of living crisis that has pushed you to live with others your age for the first time. Student or not, while this chapter of your life is new and exciting, living with strangers can bring its challenges.
Don’t worry though, we are going to help prepare you for living with roommates with our handy guide full of tips for living with roommates making sure that everything runs smoothly. You might even find yourself making friends for life!
Be open minded
We’ve all heard the ‘housemate from hell’ stories, but you need to try to be positive and open minded when moving in with others for the first time. Yes, you were all raised differently, but that doesn’t automatically mean you will hate your housemates. Studies have found that people who come into a house share with negative attitudes about living with others are more likely to experience dysfunction, whereas those who have a positive attitude towards living with others may experience improved mental health!
Set some house rules
No one wants to be the house warden, however sitting down together to set some rules for housemates is a good way to understand each other’s priorities and avoid conflicts. Make sure all of you sit down together, and have an open, honest conversation about your expectations, bugbears and priorities around the house.
Common discussion topics can include the cleanliness of the property, sleep schedules and rules for having people to stay. Hopefully, by understanding everyone’s different opinions about these topics, you all will be less likely to do things that your housemates don’t like.
Discuss shared finances
One of the biggest shocks to the system when moving out of your family home is having to pay more bills. To ensure money disagreements are kept to a minimum, discuss which bills are to be shared, and which are the individual’s responsibility. Depending on the number of people you live with and your individual circumstances, you may want to split all bills equally, or you may want one person to pay rent and the other to pay utilities.
To agree on a set way of paying bills, start by asking these questions: will one tenant be responsible for paying the overall amount and the others pay them? Will you set up a joint account and transfer your contribution on a certain day every month? Will you use a bill-splitting service to do it all for you?
Whatever you choose, make sure you sit down and have a discussion all together to choose what works best for you all, and set a deadline for transferring the money (before the bill is due) to avoid costly late penalties!
Decide on a cleaning schedule
Everyone has a different definition of ‘clean’, so before you set a schedule, you’ll need to gain an understanding of everyone’s definitions, and come to a general consensus of what ‘clean’ means for you as a house. Once you’re all on the same page, set a schedule so everyone knows what they need to do and when. Whether it’s a washing up schedule, a bathroom cleaning schedule or who cleans what rooms in the weekly full house blitz, coming up with a plan should prevent angry landlords following an inspection and reduce conflicts over why the kitchen was left in such a state!
Determine what you’re comfortable sharing
Food, clothes, appliances, shampoo. One of your housemates might be comfortable sharing pretty much everything, whereas another might become increasingly irritated if they come home to you using their hairdryer – again!
Communicate openly with your housemates about what you can share and what you can’t – and respect these boundaries!
Make sure to spend some time as a house
Whether it’s going out clubbing, taking a leisurely stroll around the town centre, or just sitting down together to watch TV, spending time as a house will allow you to bond and hopefully build those friendships that we mentioned earlier!
Don’t feel guilty for spending time alone
Living with other people can be intense and feel like a whirlwind, especially if you’re not used to it. Don’t feel guilty for sneaking off to your room for an evening to get some rest, read a book or binge your favourite TV show in peace. Just make sure not to do it too often, you don’t want to miss out on the memory-making and bond-building!
How Aspire to Move can help
At Aspire To Move, we specialise in helping renters, particularly students, find shared properties that perfectly suit their needs. Our mission is to create a unique and seamless customer experience, setting us apart from the conventional agents in Bath and Bristol.
We launch all of our student properties in November, giving you the advantage of securing your home for the following year early in the university calendar. Whether you’re looking for a shared house or flat, we make it our priority to find the ideal property for you.
Understanding the varied schedules of our clients, we offer availability beyond the standard 9-5, Monday to Friday. We believe a successful business is built on staff who genuinely care and are ready to assist you with all your housing requirements.
Contact us today to discuss your needs.
