Rules for flat sharing: Do’s and don’ts for sharing accommodation

Sharing a house or flat at uni? Let’s lay down some rules for sharing accommodation to make your stay much easier. Our house rules for sharing a flat, and pointers on how to be a good housemate will help you get along with the people you’re staying with.

Let’s run through some ground rules it can be beneficial to put in place which can help make your uni flat environment a peaceful one. Who knows, you may even end up making great friends for life. Ready? Your uni journey begins here…

Assign the storage space

Establish fair house sharing rules by allocating each housemate their own storage space. Make sure that everyone gets some cupboard and fridge space for their food, crockery and cooking bits.

Needing a bit more space for your wok or slow cooker? If someone else has some spare space, ask them nicely if you can use it. Don’t take over their cupboard without asking first.

If the kitchen space is all used up, you may be able to put some items in your room. For example, pasta and baked beans don’t need to be in the fridge. You can keep items like this in your room if you’re struggling for space in the kitchen.

Agree on sharing groceries – or not

Consider whether you’ll buy food separately or together. Weigh the pros and cons of each. Some like sharing, some don’t. Some have dietary requirements that don’t align with your own. So it’s important that everyone knows where they stand.

Sharing food, while potentially cheaper, can be problematic. Food preferences are different for each person and the amount of food people eat can differ too. One option that could work is buying your own meals and sharing the common staples with your flatmates.

For example, you could share milk and bread, and get everything else for yourself. This can help reduce food waste and save space so there aren’t five pints of milk going sour in the fridge every week. In this case, get a weekly budget together for the staples.

If you choose to buy separate groceries, you can still be a good housemate. How? Showcase your culinary skills and provide a meal for flatmates every once in a while – or when finances permit. They’ll love you for it.

The key rule when it comes to sharing food: don’t pinch your flatmates’ food. If you need to borrow an onion for a recipe, ask first. But never eat someone’s leftovers or raid their cupboards when you’re hungry. Stealing is the root cause of many arguments when flat sharing.

Do: Budget for your bills

One of the rules for sharing a flat with your housemates is paying your bills on time, especially if utilities aren’t included in your rent. This life admin task can be made easier if everyone puts aside the money at the beginning of each month or quarter.

Have an honest conversation soon after everyone has settled and gets to know each other. Agree to be on the same page when it comes to saving energy and water. If one person takes forty minute showers and leaves their laptop on all day, other people shivering in their bedrooms might not be happy.

Issues generally arise when one person collects everyone else’s money. The unpredictable nature of some may lead to that person being out of pocket when the bills are due. Instead, consider setting up a joint account and put standing orders in place.

You won’t need to worry about paying the bills Unite Students, because all utilities are included in the cost of your accommodation. Water, gas, electric and Wi-Fi are all covered.

This means no worrying about the central heating and no resentment between housemates if someone leaves the lights on by mistake. Also, your rent is a fixed amount, you know the exact outgoing each month, making overall budgeting much simpler.

Do: Create a cleaning rota

Ensure that you and your housemates are on the same page when it comes to maintaining a clean flat – this is a sure-fire way to reduce the potential for conflict.

Create cleaning rotas together for the communal areas and put rules in place for washing dishes -whether that be directly after cooking or eating or within a certain time period. Leaving it up to each individual can cause arguments and leave communal areas in a mess.

There’s a difference between being clean and being tidy. Cleaning is removing dirt, tidying is when a space is neatly in order. It’s possible to be tidy while being unclean – and vice versa. Tidy and clean up after yourself, don’t expect others to do it for you.

If someone else is being messy, gently point it out to them. It’s worth considering setting up a kitty to buy all the cleaning products together too. The last thing you want is to run out of washing up liquid when there’s a sink full of dirty dishes.

Don’t: Make too much noise

One of the best ways to be a good housemate is by being considerate about noise. But having guests and playing your music when you want to are some of the pleasures of living independently. So, make it clear to everyone when the appropriate times to do that are.

We recommend having an agreed quiet time for studying. Find it hard to study at home? You can make use of our communal study areas to create a separation between uni work and relaxing in your room.

Do: Try to work through disagreements

Disagreements can happen – but it’s up to you to work through them. If you find yourself at loggerheads with your housemates, we recommend the following:

Communicate

Communication in any relationship is key, and that goes for the relationships with your flatmates too. If you can’t do your flat duties one week, make sure you arrange to switch with someone.

Be understanding

Uni is a huge adjustment period for many, so approach issues delicately. You never know what your flatmates have on their minds, and personal worries might affect their behaviour around the flat.

Have a group chat

Besides helping you get to know each other, a group chat can be a great way of communicating quickly when issues arise. A group WhatsApp makes it easy to check who’s home, ask someone to pick up essentials, or get to the bottom of who left their dirty socks under the couch.

Summary

Arguments can happen. You can do your best to resolve the situation. But even after laying down all the house sharing rules, you’ll never see eye to eye with some people. Here’s what you can do if you don’t like your flatmates.

Do: Ask before bringing guests round

Got friends who want to visit you from back home? In a relationship and want to spend time with your partner at your flat? Perhaps you’ve bagged yourself a date. It’s important to establish the rules for sharing your flat with visitors.

This is because there are shared spaces that your other flatmates will use. If there are other people there, it may mean less space for them in the communal areas. Perhaps they want to spend the evening watching a movie in their pyjamas – your friends’ presence might mean they’re not comfortable doing that.

Having any guests staying for a long period of time could annoy some people. Be considerate with how often your partner or friends visit – overdoing it can disrupt house dynamics.

Don’t: Spend all your time in someone else’s flat

The opposite is also true – don’t be the one that spends all your time at someone else’s flat. If you do this, essentially you’re pretty much moving in there. Whether this be a friend or a partner, spending too much time in their flat could disrupt their relationships with their housemates.

The key is balance. Don’t overdo it. If you’re in doubt – ask your friend or partner. Also, if you’re familiar with their flatmates – don’t be afraid to speak to them about it. Showing them your consideration can help them to appreciate you as a visitor. You may even end up becoming good friends with them too.

Don’t: Get too hung up on the flat rules

House sharing rules are there to help everyone share the load and remain amicable – but try to avoid becoming too bossy and controlling. Everyone has their own quirks, and nobody is perfect. Living with housemates will teach you to get along and enjoy your time with other people.

Flat sharing is a great experience that will help you with relationships throughout your life. You’ll become better at understanding others, and more empathic. You may have just been used to living with your family until now. Sharing a uni flat will broaden your horizons and help you mature overall, so make the most of it.