Moving in with a roommate for the first time can be an overwhelming change. Now that you will be splitting bills and sharing the different spaces of the house or apartment, you are going to need to start considering that you are not the only person who lives in the house and your actions can affect your roommate’s sanity. Even if you know the person you are going to be living with, this can really put your relationship to the test. Check out these 5 helpful tips to living in harmony with your roommate(s):
1. Communicate Bills Before You Move In
Now that you will be splitting bills with your roommate(s) you will need to discuss a budget, who will be setting up the different accounts and how the bills are going to be split. Typically, you split rent as well as utilities like water, electric, internet, gas, etc. Will you split these 50%/50%? Will you pay less rent if you let your roommate get the bigger bedroom? Make sure you discuss the bills before you move in.
It is also important that you pay your bills on time. If a bill is coming out of your roommates account and you do not pay them on time, that is going to cause unnecessary stress for them, and they may not be very happy with you.
2. Address Conflicts Immediately
Sometimes taking the high road, especially if you are moving in with a friend, is the best way to go. Petty arguments often lead to larger arguments, so it is best to discuss any conflicts right away. This prevents you from harboring resentment and allows for more harmony in the home. You simply have to pick your battles and know that every challenge has a solution. The worst thing to do would be where your arguments boil over and cause you to be uncomfortable in your own home if you and your roommate cross paths in the common areas.
3. Learn Roommate Schedules
Laying out your schedules is a necessary way to avoid problems in the home. Are they a night owl or are they a morning person? When do they like to cook dinner? How do they feel about having guests over? These are all questions you should ask each other so that you are not disturbing your roommate or vice versa. For example, your roommate is an early bird, and you
are a night owl. Knowing this, you can be mindful of the noise you are creating so you do not wake the other person up.
4. Clean Up After Yourself
If you make a mess, clean up after yourself. You do not want your roommate to walk into a messy kitchen or living room and have to clean up after you so they can cook their meal or have people over. There may be times where you just simply do not have time to clean up right away. All you have to do is communicate that to your roommate and let them know when you can straighten up that area.
5. Hang Out But Also Give Them Space
It is great if you and your roommate are getting along and hanging out as this builds stronger relationships and your house will most likely be positively affected by this. You get to know each other better when you hang out and this will allow you and your roommate to be more in sync. However, you also do need to know when to give them space. Once you start hanging out together, and then living together, you can run into the problem where you get sick of each other, and this causes the harmony in your home to be disrupted. Make sure that you spend time apart and allow yourself and your roommate to decompress and broaden your circle.
Moving in with a roommate can be exciting, yet nerve wrecking. We hope these tips can help you to adjust to this new way of living a little better. If you moved in with a roommate and you are struggling to find space for all your belongings consider grabbing a storage unit with Compass Self Storage, as we have the right size units to fit your needs. Find a location near you and rent a storage unit today.
