Living alone in a big city like Kuala Lumpur is sometimes more challenging than anyone can imagine. Most young people are unable to afford renting a whole house by themselves and will choose to share a house or apartment with others. If you are one of those who are sharing a house with other housemates or roommates, you’re bound to face some issues eventually.
For a more harmonious house-sharing experience, you can always follow these tips. They’re aimed at improving your relationships with your housemates and avoiding any major incidences. Here they are:
1. Always Be Honest and Communicate
Sometimes due to shyness, or our culture that discourages face to face confrontations, we don’t speak to our housemates when we feel uncomfortable or inconvenienced by something. The trick is to gather courage and confront issues early on. Be polite and don’ quarrel or put others down with insults. Instead, aim to solve the problem amicably, which may involve some compromise on your part. The sooner a problem is addressed, the better it will be for you and your housemates.
2. Set Basic Rules Early On
In order to avoid misunderstandings, it is good to have a discussion session with all your housemates in order to agree on basic house rules, like whether visitors can stay over, whether parties are alright, and how food in the refrigerator is to be divided. Trust us, you’ll be thankful that some of these rules got written in the first place. One of the most important thing to settle in how bills are to be paid, and how cleanliness must be observed so be sure to tackle those first.
3. Be A Good Housemate Yourself
Be sure that you’re the one observing the house rules and not breaking them. This is to ensure you’re not inconveniencing others and making life difficult for them. Do all you can to keep the house spick and span, and respect your housemates’ privacy.
4. Everyone must Observe Boundaries
Being housemates means that you respect each other’s space and belongings. It also means that you don’t barge into people’s rooms without asking permission. It’s also not acceptable to use their things or go through their things without their knowledge. If you have a housemate that’s doing this, you need to discuss it with them calmly.
5. Consider a Mediator
If you have an ongoing issue with a housemate that you just cannot settle, it would help to get a neutral third party to come in and mediate the discussion between you both. The mediator has to be someone who is not a close friend or family member to either party involved. A good mediator would be your landlord or landlady.
Although some problems may appear difficult to solve, it is not at all impossible. All you need is a little patience and understanding. After all, different people have different personalities, which call for different approaches.
So, if you are still searching for that perfect apartment, you can check out these 5 top apartment rental websites. Or check out Roomz — maybe your next ideal roommate is now waiting for you.
