Choose your Housemates Carefully

Matt | June 26, 2012 | 0 Comments

If you haven’t lived in a shared house before, there’s a lot to think about before you go ahead and sign a rental contract.

Friends or housemates?

Just because you’ve been friends with someone since nursery school doesn’t mean they’ll make a good housemate. Their quirky habits might be endearing when you’re on a night out but they could end up seriously getting on your nerves when faced with them day in, day out. Think about your lifestyles and the way you live before you decide on the people you want to live with.

If you work nine to five but your mates work in a bar and get home in the middle of the night, you might not appreciate the broken sleep. Or, if you clean incessantly but you’re thinking of living with someone who has trouble changing a toilet roll and thinks dishes magically wash themselves, then you need to seriously think about your living arrangement.

Setting down ground rules

Cleaning (or lack of it), shopping and food, loud music or partners constantly staying over are all common causes of friction in shared houses and often small annoyances can bubble away in the background before eventually leading to full-blown arguments.

It might seem dull but setting out a basic set of house rules can be a good way to avoid petty arguments. A simple cleaning rota, basic rules about shopping and sharing food, and a cut-off point for loud music are all good starting points. If you’re happy to share the weekly food bill and take it in turns to cook, this has to be something that everyone agrees to before you move in. Likewise, if you decide to buy your food separately then the system will only work if people don’t help themselves to food and drink that isn’t theirs.

Money matters

This can be another bone of contention amongst housemates with some people not paying their way, or constantly owing money for rent and bills. An easy way to avoid this is to set up a house bank account, with everyone setting up a direct debit to the account for an agreed amount each month. Next, set up all your utility bills and your rent to be paid from this account by monthly direct debit. That way, you won’t get any huge unexpected annual bills and you can better manage the house finances.

Nothing beats sharing a house with a bunch of mates and discovering a new city together. However, petty rows can threaten to ruin the dynamic of the house and can turn a life-changing experience into a house-sharing horror film.

Written by Justin Burns MRICS of Peter Barry Estate Agents – a firm of sales and letting agents covering Oakwood N14 and surrounding areas.

Tags: Accommodation, student housing