Those of us who’ve had experience staying with others in a shared unit can understand how things can sometimes get a little awkward.
This is especially true if your fellow renter isn’t exactly the most considerate individual on the block.
Problems with housemates (if left unresolved) can hang in the air and lead to conflict.
Ultimately, no one wants to be the bad guy and no one wants to have an ugly argument about bad habits and inconsiderate roommates.
Fortunately (or unfortunately), this is a common scenario. Renters from around the world can relate to having bad company.
Unsavory characters have many things in common. Here are a few:
They’re Messy
The universal problem of roommates with different standards of hygiene and cleanliness can sometimes be a source of conflict
Mess is a subjective term (one man’s mess is another man’s home) and the issue often comes down to the level of mess that can be tolerated by different people.
We also have to understand that everyone can be a little messy sometimes. Almost everyone has had to deal with some form of mess from other people.
The key to getting along can sometimes be as simple as working on making compromises and putting a little effort into keeping your shared space clean and comfortable.
A sense of responsibility and accountability should be present. As mature adults, obligations are in order. Essentially, the solution to this problem (like many human interactions), is a social one.
If you can approach and confront your messy roommate tactfully and respectfully about their messy habits, you should generally be able to work towards a cleaner home.
It also helps to create a chore schedule as a method of organization and a means of issuing responsibilities to all roommates.
Sharing a home means sharing the work it takes to maintain a home as well. A cleaning schedule can ensure that your home is cleaned on a regular basis and duties, roles and instructions are clear and precise.
They’re Nocturnal
Have you ever been woken up to the glaring screen light of an open laptop in the dark or the manic laughter of someone watching a sitcom at 3am?
If so, you could be living with a vampire (also known as a nocturnal, undead roommate with no consideration for the living).
Whether you’re in college, a young working adult or are just someone with an unpredictable sleeping pattern, it’s important to realize that your body clock may be interrupting someone else’s.
While it’s understandable that people’s schedules can differ based on the activities in their lives, this doesn’t mean that you can’t work out a reasonable compromise.
Everybody needs their sleep and when bedtime comes around, a simple tip can be to just stay aware of your surroundings and of the people you live with.
Be extra quiet and mindful of your actions and noise levels and be considerate of your roommates sleep schedule/sleep cycles.
They constantly borrow
Some housemates can be like a bottomless pit. They take and take and never seem to know when to stop.
There’s a difference between being kind and being too kind.
Sometimes, it’s important to understand when to put your foot down but you should also seek to understand your roommate’s ownership thresholds.
Although they may not see it as a big deal, they should understand that people are different.
Some roommates see their belongings as personal and others don’t care, either way, boundaries should be clearly discussed and laid out to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
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