What It’s Like Living In A Share House

Living in a share house is nothing like TV makes it out to be. You get to know your roommates, and hopefully brave the chaos.

Living in a share house is nothing like TV makes it out to be. No one just magically gets along with everyone they live with so don’t expect constant harmony and 4am conversations all the time. You’ll fight and you might even end up hating each other but it’s not all bad. You’ve also got the opportunity to make lifelong friendships and other people to split the rent with. Read on to find out what it’s really like living in a share house from someone who’s been there, done that.

1. Hi there.

If you don’t know the people you’re moving in with you’re about to get to know them REAL fast. If you do know them then you’re going to see a whole other side of them. You don’t ever really know what a person is like until you’ve lived with them.

2. Tenant Parking Only!

Having three cars and a driveway that only fits two is a logistical nightmare. You may think being the one who has to park on the street means you got the short straw but you’ll be thankful you’re out there when one of your housemates is waking the other up at 3am because she has to get to work but her car is blocked in again.

3. Who ate my pasta?

Someone, other than you, is at some point going to eat your food – probably when you most want it. If you live in a house where you share things that’s great but more often than not you’re just going to have to accept the fact that you’re drinking your coffee black this morning because someone drank all your milk and didn’t tell you.

4. Do you have a reservation?

Your schedules will hardly ever line up but you can bet that when they do it’ll be when you want to use the kitchen or bathroom. I would definitely suggest moving into somewhere you get your own bathroom if you can but cooking space is always going to be an issue.

5. Studying.

Studying in a share house isn’t really that different to studying in one you have to yourself. There’ll be more distractions but this comes with the benefit of being able to bounce ideas off your housemates and if you’re completing the same degree you’ve got an instant study buddy.

6. The Battle of the Mess.

There’s always going to be one housemate who doesn’t pull their weight and another one who does way too much. Don’t be the one who does nothing but try not to become the maid either. Balance is essential in a share house and the only way it’s going to work is if everyone does their bit.

7. Trust issues.

Your housemates will either trust you with everything or nothing, there’s not really an in between here. If they do trust you, you’ll earn those aforementioned 4am conversations, if they don’t then you’ll just end up with random kitchen chats that don’t really have a purpose other than filling time.

8. Beware the night owl.

There is always going to be at least one nocturnal housemate, if you don’t know who yours is then it’s probably you. As long as your night owl isn’t too noisy this isn’t really an issue, you’ll just have to get used to the front door being unlocked at random hours of the night.

Most of these points can be seen as both positives and negatives and that’s ok because share houses aren’t for everyone. By far the best thing about share houses, however, is the random fun you’ll have with your housemates if you get along with them. It can be super hard living in a share house but it can also be amazing and it’s a lot cheaper than getting your own rental. Just keep these things in mind because I can guarantee you that most, if not all of them will be true for any cohabitation arrangement but if you can deal with that then you’re ready to go find yourself some housemates.