Most likely, your ideal living situation does not include roommates. Whether you and your roommate were randomly assigned to one another by the housing administration, a desperate appeal on Facebook or a plan made by you and a friend, being a roommate is a serious business. So, what are seven ways for you to be a better housemate?
Communicate
Communication is essential to any relationship, especially for a relationship with the person you live with. Even before you ever move in together, communicate. Establish the expectations you will hold for one another. How will you handle groceries—is everything to be shared, or will everything be marked and separated? How are utilities going to be split, everything in half, or is one person responsible for the entire bill? There are countless other factors to consider before making the leap and moving in.
Decide What is Important
Before you move in together and decide how your household will run and the other nitty-gritty details, you both need proper insurance. One of the most important aspects to consider when moving in with your new roommate is what will happen if your apartment is damaged. The easiest way to manage this is to determine the value of your belongings and invest in home and contents insurance. Whether it be flood or fire, or a break in your items will be protected.
Be Considerate
Your consideration for one another is paramount to the success of your housemate relationship. Whether it’s smaller details like which cleaning products are preferred or bigger things like adopting a pet, you must be considerate toward one another. If one person feels as though the other has more pull in the relationship, you may find yourself without a housemate at all.
Respect Their Privacy
Along the lines of consideration, being respectful of each other’s privacy will help decrease the number of conflicts you two experience. Just because you live together doesn’t mean you need to spend all your time at home together.
Don’t Force Friendship
In the same vein of respecting each other’s privacy, know that you don’t have to be friends. Of course, be polite and civil toward one another, but you don’t have to force a friendship. It is perfectly okay to live together and not share the same interests or group of friends. You don’t have to invite them out every time you have plans just to be polite; you are both allowed to live your own lives.
Mind Their Schedule
It is highly unusual for you and your roommate to have identical schedules, so you must be mindful of one another. We’re not saying you need to revolve your life and schedule around your roommate’s, but you should be aware. For example, don’t call all your friends over the night before their big test; don’t come in late after a long night out when you know they have to be up early for work the next morning. Be respectful to them and their time, and hopefully, they will return the favor.
Clean Up
One of the essential parts of being an excellent housemate is to clean up, both after yourself and assist your roommate in cleaning the apartment when the lease is up. Take the extra time to make your shared space livable, and when you’re cleaning up to move out, let your landlord or property owner know how appreciative you are and borrow a carpet cleaner from a place nearby. Orlando carpet cleaning has plenty of affordable options for you to get those carpets looking brand new.
Some of these may seem like common sense solutions, but a little reminder never hurts. Here’s to a happy housemate relationship!