Being a student is not as easy as everyone portrays. Amongst the studying and partying, there is another side that no one ever seems to remember: the first time a student rents their own house or flat, outside of university accommodation. This can quite often be a stressful time, and although most students do rent with friends, this is not always the case.
Choosing housemates is never an easy task, and if the wrong housemate is chosen, then you are just setting yourself up for a very difficult year. So here are some handy tips and advice for all those students who are just about to embark upon their first rental property.
Things to keep in mind
Never choose a new housemate under pressure. Do not start panicking because there are only two months left before the contract must be signed and the perfect housemate hasn’t come along yet. Take your time, advertise properly and don’t jump on the first person who replies.
Always, always interview the person first! Whether just one other lodger or the house as a group does the questioning, it is crucial to interview the prospective housemate.
Those all-important questions!
Do not be afraid to ask a prospective roommate questions. Trust me, you will regret it later if you don’t ask those relevant questions. Here are a few that, though perhaps not obvious, can save you a lot of heartache and trouble later:
- Do you have normal sleep patterns?
Finding out that your housemate is an insomniac and likes to bang the kitchen cupboards at 2:00 am will not help your own beauty sleep.
- Do you have normal bowel functions?
This is a rather odd question to consider asking someone until you have the misfortune to find yourself living with a housemate who has a rather awful tendency to defecate on the dining table and sofa cushions as well as urinate in the hallway. This is not pleasant I can assure you.
- Do you have any particular singing habits?
Everyone enjoys humming along to a tune, and very few of us are actually pitch perfect. On the other hand, most of us try to respect the fact that other people live in the house and that they most likely do not want to hear us humming along through the bedroom wall, especially when said humming is more of a wail.
- Do you play any musical instruments?
Electric guitar played loudly with the help of an amp can be rather distracting, especially if it’s being played late at night, and you have an early-morning lecture. Add on the wailing and you may as well invest in some good ear plugs.
- Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? If so, how often will they be at the house?
This question may not seem to be too problematic until you get a housemate who invites his partner over constantly, to the point where they seem to have moved in without contributing to any of the bills. The situation can then decline to the point where you no longer see your housemate but his partner instead.
- Would you be willing to make a rota to clean up the common areas?
Trust me, you do not want to be coming back to a house infested with ants after a holiday away. Dealing with ants is not pretty.
- How long does it take you to wash up the dishes?
OK, so this one may not be the most pertinent of questions. But when you have four people living in a house, who mostly eat separate meals, taking up to 50 minutes to wash up is not an option. Nor does it help to spread goodwill with the rest of your housemates.
- Do you suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder?
Most people have at least some form of OCD. But having a housemate who insists on constantly tapping on the walls whilst performing some type of ritual in order to perform the simplest of everyday activities is just too much! A housemate performing said rituals in a rather small kitchen is not only bothersome but disruptive to your own cooking/eating.
A housemate who accumulates piles of raw rice as well as crushed biscuits, whether in his room or randomly placed throughout the house, is also not a housemate I would wish upon anyone!
Always follow your gut instincts!
If you are not happy about something, do not wait until the last minute to say so. Speak up now, or else the rest of your year will be comprised of sleepless nights because of banging on the wall and a general bad atmosphere in the house.
Being a first-, second- or final-year student is never easy, but it can be made easier if you live with people you get on with and who have similar habits to you. It’s all about taking the time to get to know someone and their particularities before they move in. Investing time into the decision is the only way to save yourself from having a very long and drawn out year. Believe me when I say that hostile living conditions will not make anyone any happier and the only way to avoid a bad situation is by choosing someone you know you can live with.
(Source: this author's own traumatic experience!)
Catia Teixeira - Hi! My name is Catia Teixeira, I'm Portuguese from the small island of Madeira, but have grown up in the UK in Wales. I graduated with ...
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