Last updated: 25/11/20
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Moving into a shared house with a group of your closest friends is a refreshing change after your first year in halls. But let’s face it, living with other people isn’t always easy - just ask your parents! Rachel Weaver, a student at the University of Leeds, has provided some tips on surviving life in a shared house.
House cleaning day
This has the potential to be a lot more fun than it sounds! Every month or two, it’s a good idea to dedicate a few hours to cleaning the whole house with all of your housemates - you can blast out some music and power through together. For the communal areas, it can be a good idea to decide who cleans what by picking it out of a hat - this ensures that the rota is organised fairly so that there are no arguments.
Keep on top of your washing up
As boring as it sounds this is the best way to avoid unnecessary conflict between housemates. After you’ve cooked and eaten, just spend five minutes washing up your pots and pans - you can often do most of this whilst your food is cooking. There is nothing worse than going to cook your dinner and having to eat out of a saucepan because there are no clean plates or bowls.
Eat as a house
Every so often it’s really nice to cook and eat together as a household. Despite the fact you live with these people, it can be surprising how little you see them - particularly if you are all busy on different courses and societies. It’s a nice way to catch up with your housemates, and more often than not cooking together works out more cost effective.
Honesty is the best policy
Speaking to your housemates is extremely important, and it is always better to do this earlier rather than later. If someone is doing something that you consider an issue (for example, leaving food in the fridge and letting it go mouldy) then it’s better to just talk to them – it’s usually better to talk it through than leave a post-it note on the fridge!