Dealing with roommates, especially random roommates can be tough sometimes. It often takes awhile for everyone to get used to each other and establish general boundaries for the home. Every once and awhile, a difficult roommate comes along and makes your living situation less than ideal.
1. Address problems sooner rather than later
If you see something that bothers you, say something. If you let your roommates walk all over you for half the semester and then suddenly speak up, they aren’t going to respect the boundaries you’re trying to set. Get things out in the open before they are too drawn out. Sometimes, your roommate may not even know what they are doing is annoying or rude.
2. Don’t be afraid to speak up if something is bothering you
When my roommates came back yelling at 2am, at first I was too afraid to tell them that they were being inconsiderate. The bottom line is that you have a right to quiet and cleanliness in your home, and it’s totally okay to tell your roommates that. If everyone is respectful of each other, the home becomes a much better place for everyone to live in!
3. Give them hard deadlines for things like bills
When it comes to certain topics, you don’t have any friends. Money is one of those areas where you have to be firm with your roommates. Everyone is living in a shared space so they all need to split the bill for utilities and other expenses. If your roommate refuses to pay you, you have every right to sit down with them and have an adult conversation about possible solutions. You are all adults here and should act as such when dealing with bills and other serious matters.
4. Don’t be passive aggressive
Being passive aggressive only leads to more passive aggressiveness. No one wants to live in a hostile environment where things are constantly awkward due to the lack of conversation about issues. Get everything out in the open in a clear and non-accusatory manner. You are all adults and should be able to talk about issues without getting into fights like you’re in middle school.
5. Make sure you are reasonable with your requests
Sometimes, you can be a contributing factor to a stressful living situation. If you are too unrealistic with your expectations, it can create an awkward living space filled with tension. My personal rule with dishes is the two day rule. If dishes are left in the sink for more than two days, I usually say something to my roommates about them. 2 days is a reasonable amount of time to expect a mess to be cleaned up because life can get in the way of cleaning sometimes. Make sure to ask yourself if your expectations for your roommates are too strict!
6. Remind yourself that the situation is temporary!
You only have to live with these people for 9 months to a year at the most. After you move out, you never have to see these people again. Keep this fact in mind as you navigate the muddy waters of dealing with people who are difficult to live with.
Take all the information and life experience you learned while living with difficult roommates and apply it to other situations in life. As for next year, pick roommates that you actually like and can get along with!
Thumbnail image via Comedy Central