Top Tips for Living Peacefully with Roommates
If the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic mean you have to hire out a room in your home or move to a shared house, or if you’re moving out of home for the first time, it’s essential to consider ways to live peacefully with your roommates.
There’s nothing worse than living in a constant state of frustration or anxiety, etc., because relationships between housemates are strained. Here are some tips to help you have a calmer home life.
Choose the Right People
For starters, do what you can to choose the right people to live with. Look for roommates who have similar values and beliefs as you, seem easy to get along with, and whom you get the feeling will treat you and your belongings with respect. You can’t tell everything about a person when you first meet them, of course, but ask questions of potential roommates to get a feel for who they are, and then trust your gut instincts.
Set Ground Rules Upfront
It’s a good idea to set a variety of ground rules upfront with your roommates. If you can agree on dos and don’ts before you move in together, that will make life easier when you’re cohabitating and should make you less prone to irritate each other.
Talk about each person’s pet peeves and the things you like and dislike in your space. For instance, discuss whether or not you want to share food and other items, how it might work best when you each have visitors over, how you’ll share cooking and cleaning duties, who will pay for what, and so on. Being aware of each other’s preferences and needs and agreeing on ways of doing things will help you live much more peacefully as time goes on.
Consider Warranties and Insurances
Whether you choose a roommate to move into your own home or are moving into an external space elsewhere, the likelihood is high, either way, that you and your flatmates will share appliances, furniture, and other bits and pieces. In most cases, everyone brings some items “to the party.”
When this happens (and especially if you rent out a room in your home and advertise it as already fully-furnished), your gear will get more use. You won’t be able to control how the other person or people handle your belongings. It pays, therefore, to invest in extended insurances for your expensive products.
Alternatively, you may want to buy a home warranty. Many people don’t realize this kind of cover exists. However, when you ask, what does a home warranty cover in a property, you’ll learn that it can pay for costs associated with maintaining, repairing, and replacing appliances and other systems. This cover not only exists for new machines, but also older ones, and extends to items used by roommates. Buying this type of product can help you have more peace of mind.
Get to Know Roommates
Another tip for peaceful living is to take the time to get to know roommates and their schedules. You don’t need to know everything about people right away, but over the weeks and months, be curious and open. Learn your roommates’ personality types, and when they typically get up of a morning, go to bed, eat meals, watch TV, etc.
Once you’re clued into people’s habits and interests, you can be a better flatmate. You’ll know how to leave them space to do what they need to do to get ready for work or when to keep the noise down when they’re trying to sleep. You can take steps to wash up pots and pans before you know they’re going to want to use them, and be flexible about which shows you watch on TV and when.
These are just a few examples. Pay attention to the person or people you’re living with and how they like to go about their days, and you’ll soon see all sorts of opportunities to make life easier for them. In turn, this should encourage them to do the same for you.
Communicate Effectively
Effective communication is vital when cohabiting a space with a roommate. Try to express your concerns about issues ASAP, in a calm, measured way so you can address problems and nip them in the bud. By taking this step, problems shouldn’t turn into insurmountable issues.
Also, try to keep things in perspective. We all do things to grate on each other, no matter who we live with, so choose your battles rather than nit-picking over every little annoyance.
Living with a roommate can have plenty of ups and downs, particularly if you don’t know the person before you share a home with them. However, if you follow the tips listed above and treat people and their possessions the way you like to be treated, you should find it easier to have a peaceful and enjoyable home life.
