Rules for flat sharing

Having flat shared for several years I can give a few guidelines for sharing a house. This is particularly relevant for those who might be just moving out the family home to share for the first time.


Before Moving in
Ideally get to know the people a little bit before moving in. In my case this never happened due to time constraints but moving in with familiar people is more likely going to lead to a closer home life. If you are in the same situation as I was and are not able to meet the others before moving in then all is still not lost. I’ve never really shared with a ‘bad’ person just they aren’t always on the same wavelength as myself.

Top Tip: Agree between yourselves that if people are out of the house, whether or not they have full responsibility to contribute to bills. This will avoid problems when the bills come through the door and people start making excuses as to why they shouldn’t pay.

Bills
An agreement should be made in the beginning as to how the bills should be split. Usually there is an equal split between the number of people in the house.
Put up a note with all the bills and how much each person pays and when.

Cleaning
This is something that rarely gets done, especially in student flat shares. Every couple of months it gets to a point where by something has to be done, at which point everyone should agree to help. Otherwise those who do the cleaning will continue to hold a grudge against those who didn’t help for a good few weeks after, which doesn’t help house relations. Noticeable mess that is created by an individual should be cleared promptly by the offender. Such things include spills, mess on oven top and hairs in the bath plug!

Food
Only eat what you have. If you need to borrow something from someone else ask first. Don’t keep asking too often though as that just takes the biscuit! Offering to cook a group meal should go down well, if you are the one being cooked for make sure you help clear up or offer to return the favour another day.

Household items
These include items such as toilet roll, kitchen roll, cleaning items, washing up liquid and bin bags. What is considered in this group can be agreed before hand and as long as everyone contributes there shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Smoking
If it is a mixed-smoke house it should be the duty of the smoker(s) to step outside while smoking or at least ensure there is proper ventilation.

Parties
Reasonable noise should be permitted during the day and early evening but there should be a line drawn. If there is the odd occasion in which it will go further into the night then ask the other tenants and, if necessary, inform the neighbours too. If there are problems with your plans make other arrangements such as taking your party to a nightclub.

Note that the best way to solve any issues is by talking, just like a marriage, for any relationship to work issues need to be solved by communicating. Also despite it being a shared house each person should be aware of anything they leave in shared rooms should not get in the way of everyone else. If you’ve washed some clothes, don’t leave them lying around in the washing machine for weeks on end. The same goes for dishes, don’t leave them lying in the washing up bowl for weeks.

Tip: If your kitchen is big enough each get your own washing up bowl and keep the sink clear.

If communication breaks down often people drift apart and I have had a situation where one person would be avoiding another at all costs which clearly is not ideal for the whole house atmosphere. Arranging to go out on occasion together to try and find some common ground is often a good idea. This often makes everyone feel a little less separate and encourages group sprit.