Renting a property with a friend or acquaintance? Never lived with anyone before? We’ve got you covered with some top tips to help manage your new living situation and be the perfect flatmate.
These days, renting isn’t cheap and whether you’re a student or professional, those monthly payments can feel like a stretch. So, if you’re about to move in with a flatmate, it’s worth sticking to some basic rules to make sure your tenancy works out for the both of you.
In this quick read, we look at ways to make your flat share feel like a happy home.
Understand Your Tenancy Agreement
Whether you’re living with one other person or multiple people, you have your own individual responsibilities to stick to. You most likely have signed a joint tenancy agreement, where you and your housemates are all named. This means you and the others living in the property are jointly responsible for paying rent and adhering to the rules of the tenancy. Keep a copy of your tenancy agreement handy so you know what you’re responsible for and what your landlord is obligated to do.
Split the Bills
When living with someone, it’s important to decide how to split the bills. For most people, it’s an easy 50/50 split. However, this is totally down to you and the person (or people) you are sharing with to agree.
To avoid disagreements, see if your utility provider allows multiple names on the bill. This means that whoever is named is responsible for paying – not just one person. Similarly, if problems arise, anyone named on the account can contact the service provider.
Cleaning
Some people love scrubbing surfaces or washing windows, whilst others just don’t. Make your rented home a happy one by agreeing on which areas are communal and split the cleaning duties. Mucky bathrooms and cluttered kitchens can cause unnecessary tension, so make sure tasks are divided equally. If you really hate cleaning, split the costs of a professional cleaning service.
Whilst bigger jobs can be shared, when it comes to dirty dishes or no loo roll – just get it done. Don’t sweat the small stuff, if you want to be the perfect flatmate.
Respect
If you and your perfect flatmate have different work schedules, it’s important to be respectful of their space and your noise levels. After all, 30th July is World Friendship Day – don’t be the annoying/rude housemate!
Also, keep clear of their bedroom. By maintaining boundaries between private and communal spaces, you’ll always have somewhere to retreat to just in case.
Food
At the start of your sharing journey, decide what you’re going to do about food. Will you shop together or separately? Can some items be shared, and others kept for yourself? No one wants sticky notes on their bread and butter – agree to separate shelves in the fridge and drawers in the freezer instead. And whatever you do, don’t drink directly from the juice carton!
