Let’s face it. Living in a shared house has its ups and down. While you can meet some great people and make lifelong friends, even they will have habits that annoy you sometimes. And if no one in your house annoys you, it is quite possible that you are the one annoying everyone else! 😜
So, to help your house run smoothly, here are some hints and tips to help you be a great housemate.
1. COMMUNICATE
- Hold regular house meetings to agree and review house rules.
- Be sociable and get to know your housemates. If you can understand a bit about them and find out what is important to them it will help you to live together well.
- Remember: You are an adult. Most disagreements can be sorted out by talking openly and honestly with one another. If there is a disagreement in your house, please talk to one another before escalating it to New Mills Properties.
2. EQUAL RIGHTS
All housemates have an equal say in the way the house operates and equal responsibility for keeping communal areas tidy. Do not think that because someone pays more rent and has a larger room that they have more say. Or that someone who pays less rent and has a smaller room that they have less say.
3. RESPECT
At all times, show respect for one another.
- It is important to understand the work patterns of your housemates and respect when they may want their own privacy and time to be quiet, rest and sleep. Please respect others and allow them undisturbed time in their room to do their own thing. Do not be selfish at these times, use your indoor voice and allow them to rest and have their space and privacy.
- If you need to work from home, please try to do so in your own room. Remember, communal areas are there for everyone to use. Do not exclude housemates from using common areas of their home. From time to time your housemates may agree that they will stay out of the way while you work for a few hours but this will be an exception rather than a rule.
- Agree a morning shower rota if your house has a shared bathroom. None of your housemates want to be late for work because you get up at random times and disrupt their morning routines.
- Multiple people trying to cook multiple different meals in one kitchen can be difficult. While we have included plenty of equipment and in many cases included two ovens, be respectful and don’t spread your chopping boards and appliances out over all the kitchen surfaces and hog all the space at peak times.
- You’ll be surprised how far noise travels. Take note of thin walls and be respectful of people who are studying, or working shifts, they’re likely to be far more noise-sensitive. Which is why, every now and then, it’s worth asking your housemates whether they’re happy with how things are going – some will let you know if they’re not, but others will suffer in silence. If you want to play loud tv or music, use headphones.
4. PERSONAL BELONGINGS
Living in a shared house means respecting not just other people, but also their belongings. Please treat everything in the house as if it is your own.
- Do not ‘borrow’ something that belongs to your housemate without their express permission. And never take something that belongs to your housemate back to your room without them knowing.
- Please do not leave your personal belongings in the communal areas. If something is important to you, make sure you leave it in your room. Do not use the communal areas as extra storage. If you do, things could get lost, damaged or even thrown away.
- When the weather is fine, clothes should be hung to dry outside. If there isn’t an obvious communal location to dry your laundry inside, it may be best for everyone to hang up their washing in their own rooms. Use a clothes dryer and don’t leave clothes on the radiator. Ensure you open a window to prevent condensation and damp forming in the room.
5. FOOD AND DRINK
- Do not take food, drink or ingredients that belong to someone else unless you have express permission to do so.
- Keep your own items on your own shelves in the cupboards, fridge and freezer. If you do eat something that belongs to another housemate, ask their permission first and replace it as soon as you can.
Tip: It can be useful to have a shelf or fridge space for shared food items that anyone is welcome to eat.
Tip: Housemates that want to save money should think about shopping online, buying in bulk, or creating a kitty for things like toilet paper and condiments. If there is a kitty, you should pay your share on time and take your turn to shop for needed items.
6. CLEANING
Communal areas are generally cleaned every 2 weeks. Tenants are expected to maintain the property to a good standard of cleanliness and hygiene in between times. Problems often arise in a shared house because people have wildly different expectations about what is clean and what is not. And everyone has a different tolerance towards mess.
Tip: It is advisable to draw up a cleaning rota with other housemates.
If you wish to engage the cleaner to clean your own room, this can be arranged at a small charge.
- To help keep the house cleaner for longer, please do not wear outdoor shoes inside.
- When using communal areas, always put things away after you. Do not leave items laying around the communal areas for someone else to put away. This can breed resentment and in some cases, unfriendly odours. How tidy you keep your own room is up to you but please leave the kitchen, bathrooms and lounge areas as you find them.
- You should clean the cooker top, the microwave, toaster and worktops after every meal so that they are ready for the next person. Cover items in the microwave to prevent splatter and make it easier to clean. Put a layer of foil in the bottom of the grill pan/oven, to catch fat drips and replace it after use.
- If you see that the bin needs to be emptied, just do it! There are only so many times that you can crush the rubbish down. just change the bin bag.
- And if the bin is not full, but it smells, again put the bag in the wheelie bin. This will make your house a much more pleasant place to live.
- On the same note, put the correct wheelie bins and recycling boxes out on collection day. Check your collection days at https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/rubbish-and-recycling/
- Cleaning up someone’s food mess is one thing, cleaning up their personal mess is another. And it’s gross. Clean, the bath, wash basin and toilet after you have used them. Also, put the toilet seat down and close the lid when you have finished.
Tip: If you have been lucky enough to have someone look after you through your life so far and you do not know how to clean the toilet, please ask one of your housemates for help. They are likely to be sympathetic if they know you are willing to do your bit.
WASHING UP
- It is never ok to let dirty plates build up in the sink. Either agree a daily washing up rota and stick to it or wash your own pots, pans, crockery and cutlery up as soon as you have finished using them. Agree what is and isn’t acceptable with your housemates.
- Neither is it ok to hide dirty crockery in your room. Please do not allow your housemates to find the crockery cupboard bare because its contents are all in your room!
TIP: When it comes to cleaning, please be tolerant with your housemates. Give them the benefit of the doubt if they occasionally have to leave before they finish the washing up. Allow them time to do it when they get in or be a great housemate and do it for them.
7. GUESTS
- Do not invite guests to the house without first asking your housemates. It is their home too and they do not want to come in after a hard day at work to find unexpected strangers sitting on the sofa. Whether it is a romantic attachment or a family member, regular guests can really change the dynamic of the house.
- Remember that you cannot move someone into your room without agreeing it with New Mills Properties. However, an occasional adult overnight guest may be ok, if your housemates are also ok with it. If you do have an overnight guest please be considerate. You may be a passionate lover, but no one wants to hear it!
- You are responsible for the actions of your guests. If your guests behave in a way that is inappropriate or causes damage you will be breaching your tenancy agreement.
8. FIRE
- Keep the hall, stairs and landing clear at all times. In the event of a fire, these may form part of your fire escape route and need to be kept clear, by law.
- Keep fire doors closed at all times.
- Do not site the toaster under kitchen units when it is use and do not use deep fat fryers at this property. Remember to use the extractor fan when cooking.
- If you bring any of your own furniture into your room, please ensure that it conforms to British safety standards.
- The fire alarm system is very sensitive and will be activated by the slightest whiff of smoke! The control panel will display the source of the smoke. A false alarm in which either an engineer or the Fire Brigade are called out, will result in a substantial payment being made by whichever tenant has been careless.
SMOKING
- It is not acceptable to smoke, or vape in any of our shared houses, including in your room. If you must smoke in the garden, please use a suitable receptacle for your cigarette ends and ensure that it is emptied safely and regularly.
9. SECURITY
Please ensure that you lock the doors and secure all windows before leaving the house.
10. BUILD HOUSE TRADITIONS
The happiest shared houses do fun things as a group. Here are a few things to get you started.
- Have a communal meal one night a week
- Check out your local pub quiz night; you never know, you might make an ace team.
- Join a gym and exercise together
- Host a mid-week movie night together
Above all, be prepared to compromise here and there. You will not get your own way all the time and in the course of living in a shared house you may find yourself living with people who are unpleasant, selfish or clueless. You don’t need to be the same. But you are also pretty much guaranteed to make some lifelong friends and enjoy a lot of fun times along the way.
