How To Avoid Housemate Dilemmas

Whether living with strangers or your very best buds, conflict on some level is bound to surface sooner or later. Many students have a tricky housemate story, and arguments, amusing anecdotes and funny fabrications are not uncommon in student rhetoric. Ultimately, student living comes with its own culture, but many mistakenly interpret this as an excuse for foul play.

The atmosphere in a student household is vital, capable of impacting grades and personal well-being. Any brewing tensions must be navigated sensibly to defuse any drama. Here are some ways to ensure you and your buddies maintain a happy home.

Sign in your own time!

At house hunting time, mass hysteria can ensue. After all, many students scramble to find good accommodation from as early as November, panicking before anything else. However, rushed signings can spark the blame game after everything else is set in stone.

Before committing to a hefty deposit, you must truly know what types of people you will be living with. You may admire that certain friend, but living with them and their quirks can be an entirely different story. Additionally, frantic signings lead some to try and abandon contracts before a tenancy even starts, leaving an awkward year ahead when those plans inevitably fall through.

What’s signed sticks. Ultimately, there is no (huge) rush to fill in that dotted line, so take your time and let your housemates do so too.

Kindness, consideration and compromise

Being easy to live with involves a lot more than allowing your fellow housemate to use your toaster. The social atmosphere in a residence is key to making a success of university, and so it’s important to behave responsibly.

The temporary arrangement of living in a student property can tempt careless bad behaviour. Don’t be the one to push things to breaking point. If there’s a house film night going on, make sure everyone is invited. If there are rotas for cleaning, see to your duties. If your music is too loud, turn it down. You might find yourself subject of a frustrated forum post if you don’t stay civil!

Pitch in and do your bit. After all, being independent isn’t lounging in a dirty house that loan money has paid for!

Communication

What can begin as a brief lapse in judgement or a simple misunderstanding can end in tears and tantrums. Additionally, thanks to social media, some housemate issues can be made public, leaving no winners on either side of any domestic dispute.

By staying away from social media and interacting with your housemate directly, you may solve more issues than you realise. It’s the best and most respectful way forward, not warping facts with veiled rhetoric but showing integrity through a productive conversation.

Additionally, stay away from passive-aggressive notes. No matter how innocent they might be to you when writing them; they’re a friendship minefield. Instead, talk face-to-face and have a rational, mature dialogue that is less open for interpretation.

Live and let live

For first years, there is no selection process in choosing who you want to live with. You are thrown in with a bunch of strangers, and must learn to make the most of it.

There are many different types of student, and sometimes it is futile trying to be best friends with everyone you encounter. If your housemate enjoys quiet reading with a mug of coco, chances are they may not enjoy the rave. That’s okay, and part of being a good housemate is respecting other lifestyles without bitter or bullying behaviours getting in the way.

Forced friendship does not benefit anybody. Often, a smile coupled with some simple small talk is enough to dodge any major personality clashes while keeping things friendly and social.

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