If you are going to be someone’s house guest for a long time or a roommate, it is always good to review what you can do to be a good roommate or long-term house guest.
To be a good roommate, you should learn to communicate with your roommates. It is good if roommates can sit down and go over ground rules. Learn to clean up your messes and respect the privacy and personal property of others. Also, let your roommate know if you will have guests over and be respectful of them and their schedules.
Table of Contents
- Communicate With Your Roommates
- Set And Live By Rental Ground Rules
- Clean Up Your Personal Messes
- Respect The Privacy And Property Of Others
- Let Your Roommates Know If You Have Guests
Communicate With Your Roommates
The majority of roommate conflicts happened as a result of poor communication. People sometimes think they are communicating and do not understand how to communicate appropriately with someone they are living with.
It can be awkward to ask your roommate, whose turn is now, to buy toilet paper—or to communicate about decreasing the television’s noise – or who took something that was yours?
But learning to communicate with your roommates can help to ease any tension. It can also stop you from accusing them of something they maybe did not do or did not do on purpose.
Learn to communicate with your roommate openly and face-to-face and not through other means like passive-aggressive sticky notes that you leave up all over the place.
Even if it may seem awkward or scary to talk to your roommates about some concerns, remember the longer you let it go, the worse it can get.
Set And Live By Rental Ground Rules
When two or more people live together, it can be good to have some rental and living ground rules. It is good if everyone can sit down and openly talk about what they want to see.
Maybe one of your roommates does not want anyone else using their kitchen utensils or tools; that would be a good thing to discuss openly. Others may need to sleep during the day as they are working nights, so they may need to communicate that to other roommates.
Setting ground rules early on can help diffuse potential problems and avoid arguments or bad feelings.
It is not always the setting of the ground rules or boundaries that is the hard part; it is making sure that everyone works to try to maintain those boundaries and ground rules.
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Clean Up Your Personal Messes
To be a good roommate, always clean up any personal messes. Nothing is worse than having a roommate or flatmate who will make a mess and expect others to clean up for them.
You should be respectful of the other roommate and clean up after a meal, after you have had friends, or anytime you have made a mess.
Doing this will keep the communal living area clean and orderly.
Included in your messes is for you to keep up your own hygiene. People do not want to live with someone if they are constantly smelling bad or not taking care of their hygiene.
Respect The Privacy And Property Of Others
Do not use your roommate’s property or belongings without permission. If a roommate is not home, you can text or call them to ask if you can use or borrow something.
Do not assume that anything of your roommates is communal or your property just because you are living together.
Also, if you break or damage your roommate’s personal property, you should tell them immediately and offer to pay for any repairs or damages. No one wants to come home to find that a roommate used their expensive frying pan and damaged it beyond repair.
Also included in this should be unsolicited advice. If your roommate is struggling, you should not try to tell them what they should do unless they ask for your suggestion or advice.
It is better to offer your roommate support and friendship to help them with any issues they may have, but not try to give them unsolicited advice or unwanted opinions. This is especially important if it concerns love, family, or other sensitive issues.
Let Your Roommates Know If You Have Guests
If you are having guests come over to visit or stay over, you should let your roommate know. This includes having people come in and out at all times, day and night, without allowing your roommate knows about it and being okay with this.
Many people are unhappy if you play loud music or talk loudly at 1:30 am, so they can not sleep.
Be respectful of your roommate, their work and sleep schedule, and have people over to the apartment or house.
A lot of being a good roommate is about being a thoughtful person. Most people want to be around thoughtful people who care about them.
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Related Question
Can I Go In Someone’s House Without Permission And Get My Furniture Out?
You cannot legally go into someone’s house to get your furniture out without permission. Entering someone’s home without permission or getting your personal property as furniture could be considered burglary, theft, or criminal trespassing and punishable by law.
By clicking here, you can read more about Can I Go In Someone’s House Without Permission And Get My Furniture Out?
What Happens If You Leave Furniture In An Apartment?
If you decide to leave unwanted furniture in an apartment you are renting, you will probably be charged for the furniture removal. Most landlords will charge for needing to remove unwanted furniture and other things from their rental property. The landlord can also sue you and demand more payment than your security deposit.
By clicking here, you can read more about What Happens If You Leave Furniture In An Apartment?
