The last thing you want is an uncomfortable living situation

Quite often you'll hear people say 'university is the best time of your life'... But let's be honest balancing coursework deadlines, money worries and living away from home for the first time isn't always easy. 

With everything else going on the last thing you want are household disagreements and an uncomfortable living situation.

By adopting some healthy habits early on in your house/flat share, you can create a happy living space that suits everyone. This is especially important if you are moving into private accommodation as it can be difficult to leave before the end of the contract. Here are our top tips for a happy and successful house share.

1. Be considerate to other people's lifestyle choices 💤

Naturally, some people will have different lifestyle choices to you. While some may enjoy partying till the early hours on a weekday night, other people prefer to be tucked up in bed by 9pm. The same applies for cleanliness and different people will have different standards.

Therefore, if you are moving into private accommodation, you should consider choosing to live with like-minded people to avoid conflict. Some people also find it helpful to agree on some household ground rules that everyone agrees to stick to. This article has some great advice for setting up some household rules.

2. Divide communal chores fairly 🧹

Chores is a word nobody likes to hear but they've got to be done. Having a rota stuck to the fridge is a great way to assign individual responsibility to each task. Alternatively, the app Chorma allows you to distribute tasks fairly and keeps track of whose doing what. 

3. Get your household bills in order 💷

Being in charge of household bills can feel like a big responsibility and be overwhelming at times. You can make their life easier by setting up an automatic bank transfer each month so the billpayer doesn't have to chase you for your money. You may also want to consider setting up a household bank account that everyone pays their bill money into.

You are bound to have some communal costs living in a house share. It can be disheartening to feel like you're always the one to buy the toilet paper every time it runs out. SplitWise is a great app for splitting communal costs and tracking how much each flatmate has spent on what.

4. If you are having issues address them before they get out of hand 😡

If everything else fails and you are having issues, communication is key. Letting the tension build will only make the situation worse so it's best to talk through the issues as they arise. 

Avoid leaving the passive-aggressive note on the kitchen table and arrange a time when everyone is available to calmly talk though the issue. Make sure that everyone gets a chance to say their bit and try to avoid taking sides. It can be easy to get caught up in the drama but ask yourself whether the issue is truly affecting you and attempt to compromise where possible. 

If you're new to a house share or considering one during your time at university we hope these tips will help you. If you have any more questions about private accommodation you can contact our team.

Call: +44(0)20 7514 6240(Monday - Friday, 9.00am - 6.00pm)Email: private.accom@arts.ac.uk