Renting with other people is simply the go-to these days. It’s simply because you can save a lot of money when you rent an apartment or a room with other humans. Not only are you cutting costs for the rent, you’re also saving money for the important bills like electricity, water, and internet. And also, living with a roommate means you’re not alone in cooking, washing the dishes, or finishing the latest season of Game of Thrones.
Though it’s economical and also fun to have a roommate, there are certain rules that have to be established when living with other people. Without these known guidelines, your relationship with your roommates may go sour and turn into something that’s not so desirable.
To help you with the task of creating rules, we collected some of the basic guidelines that you and your fabulous roommates should be able to cover. You’re welcome!
Rule #1: Compare and update schedules
Ask your roommates right away about their schedule. Some people work at ungodly hours and it may affect your sleeping pattern if someone will barge in at the middle of the night. Work up the schedule so that you can expect who’s coming in during this time and also who’s going to use the bathroom in first in the morning. Do not forget to update the schedule just in case they change.
Rule #2: Discuss the bathroom
Your bathroom is a shared space that you will be sharing with your roommates. Create guidelines that will make sure that the cleanliness of the bathroom will be intact. Put post its like “Do not forget to flush” or “Turn off the lights after use.” Also create a schedule of bathroom cleaners so that everyone can contribute in maintaining the sanctity of this area.
Rule #3: Visitors
Don’t you just hate it when you’re expecting a quite night alone then suddenly your roommate brings an unexpected visitor? Establish a guideline when it comes to visitors. Create a calendar wherein you and your roommates can put in the days wherein a loved one will visit and so on.
Rule #4: Ownership
Drama ensues when a certain object is misplaced or when a certain food from the fridge suddenly went missing. Establish from the early stage of the roommate relationship that getting or eating things that are not yours is extremely prohibited unless you notify the owner.
Rule #5: Lock issues
Do not forget to copy keys. Make sure that each and every one of you has the same set of keys and no one will give an extra copy to a stranger. Security is everything in this day and age and keeping an extra copy of your house is simply unsafe.
Create this rules from the get go and you’ll surely have a blast living with your roommates!
