Whether you’re living with friends or a roommate you found online, it’s important to know how to peacefully coexist in your home. Here are some tips to help.
Split up responsibilities.
When sharing a home, it’s important to maintain it for the benefit of all who live there. Making a cleaning/chores list will make sure everyone is taking part so one person doesn’t feel like the maid of the apartment. In some cases, it might be easier to just designate a cleaning day when everyone is home. Then you can split up the chores right there and get it all done together.
Outline common areas and set boundaries.
When it comes to sharing a common space, it might be necessary to assign certain areas or sides to a person. For example, this can come in handy for the fridge. Each roommate can get a shelf for their food, or it can be split down the middle. Talk about your comfort with sharing those designated areas. Some roommates, for example, are fine with sharing their food or appliances if you ask beforehand. Some do not want to share, and that should be discussed to avoid frustration.
Share schedules and discuss guests.
When living with another person, it can be beneficial to know when they’re coming and going routinely. Knowing their work schedule can help when trying to coordinate dinners or hangout times. Alternately, it’s nice to know when to expect others to be home so you can look out for each other. In terms of inviting guests over, like if you’re inviting a group over for dinner, it’s common courtesy to let your roommates know. There should also be an initial talk about what everyone is comfortable with when it comes to potentially having guests over a lot.
Be considerate of noise levels.
One of the biggest reasons why a shared living space can become tense: a different idea of normal noise levels. Ask your roommates how they feel about playing music on speaker to get a gauge of their comfort. In general, however, it’s courteous to wear headphones when listening to music or watching shows on a laptop. When watching TV at night or when your roommate is in another room, keep the volume at an acceptable level.
Be respectful and communicate.
Overall, just be respectful of your roommate’s boundaries and when using the common areas. If you are more prone to messy spaces, make sure you keep that to your room and not the public spaces to avoid potential arguments. If there are issues happening, try to talk it out. In general, a roommate situation does not always work, so also accept if it’s time to start looking for a new place or roommate.
Tycon Companies manages nine different apartment complexes across the Twin Cities metro and wants you to Love Where You Live.
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