If you’re moving into student accommodation next semester for university, then I’m sorry to say, but there will be problems! But that’s ok because it’s just what every student must put up with when moving in with strangers. Sometimes it’s not all bad and you may get lucky by meeting the right set of people who you will connect with and have next to no problems with – even becoming the best of friends. However, we understand that may not be the case for everybody! We have rounded up fifteen of the most common things that student housemates do to drive you crazy with advice on how to overcome these problems.
No matter how many other student housemates you will be moving in with, every day you will have to wash the dishes because that’s just a chore we all must grin and bear in life. But this is probably the most frequent problem that all flatmates face and it comes down to other people not respecting a clean environment where they leave their dirty dishes lying around out of laziness. Sometimes flatmates will agree to do their dishes later due to being busy and running out of time, which is common when you’re at university. The only way to get around this is to look out for yourself by cleaning your own dishes after you use them straight afterwards.
Yes, many people choose to take drugs and you may just have student housemates who like to smoke weed in their room. This is something that many flatmates have mixed feelings over, some being ok with the idea while others not so much. Much of it comes down to the smell that cigarettes and some drugs give off which can pass into other flatmates’ rooms and it doesn’t help if you can’t stand the smell which lingers for hours. If you find that one of your flatmates is annoying others by smoking, then it’s probably best to approach them and ask them to smoke outside or elsewhere.
If you’re the type of flatmate that likes to relax with a book in one hand a cup of tea in the other, then it will be a problem if you find that a flatmate likes to blast their music. This can quite the annoyance especially if their music taste is opposite to yours. What’s worse is that this could be during the night if it turns out your flatmate likes to have friends around make loads of noise, while they disturb you as you’re trying to get to sleep. An approach to this one is to make your feelings clear when you feel disturbed, so that next time your flatmates will have more consideration next time around.
As you get to know your flatmates, you may start to realise just how different you are and this where personalities can sometimes conflict. Other flatmates may connect and leave you out of the zone and this can result in gossiping, especially if other flat problems occur where people will take sides. If you find that your flatmates are gossiping behind your back then it’s best to make your feelings clear then remain civil to resolve any underlying issues.
When you first move in it is a MUST to create a kitchen rota, to ensure everybody is doing their fair share of cleaning the kitchen. This one is the most common annoyance for flatmates, as people tend to feel like they also must take the bins out or sweep the floor instead of having a set routine where everybody is delegated work. Delegation is vital to keep tension at a minimum when it comes to the dreaded kitchen clean!
Not everybody is going to get on the flat and that’s ok. Nobody expects you to get on with everybody because everybody is different. You may, however, come across some particular flatmates who become bored and like to start unnecessary drama to create tension between growing friendships. It’s best to try and avoid these type of flatmates at all costs!
It’s inevitable that you will make new friends while staying in student accommodation whilst at university but keeping those friends can sometimes be challenging. Circumstances in friendships as we all know can change and the more we get to know somebody, the more we know whether we want to make those friendships long-term. Many students face friendship struggles for various reasons and it can become a very annoying process that might distract you from your studies and the ability to enjoy uni life. It’s important to remember that you should only surround yourself with people who make your uni life a one to remember for all the right reasons.
With a divide of people who are night owls and those who are not, sleeping routines can determine a lot about somebody. Somebody who is loud during the night and sleeps through the day is more likely to become an annoyance if they are loud and end up disrupting your mode of sleep. Uni is stressful enough without the somebody clattering around in the kitchen in the middle of the night while you must be up early in the morning for lectures. It’s best to communicate with your housemates and let them know when you’re sleeping so that you can sail through the night without being woken up.
Of course, we all like a good gossip session every now and then, but does it really have to be at 3 am in the morning when everyone is asleep and all everybody can hear is howls of laughter or shouting through the corridors. This is an extremely annoying aspect when student housemates are settling in bed and needing sleep and it’s best to make sure your flatmates know that you’re not happy if you get woken up when others aren’t being considerate. If your flatmate isn’t a morning person, they’re going to be really mad!
When student housemates move in together, most agree on a set of house rules to make sure everybody is happy within the living space. However, it becomes difficult for certain flatmates to stick to the rules making it unfair for everybody else, especially when it comes to cleaning or who’s turn it is to take the bins out. You soon learn very quickly who is lazy and who is tidy!
Most flats have communal area televisions, and somebody is bound to record a TV show that they will want to watch after a grueling day of lectures to unwind and relax. Annoyingly you might get those student housemates that will delete your show or will want to play video games for hours upon end instead. You might just have to hide the TV remote to get by this one!
There’s bound to be at least one flatmate that will happen to be in a relationship upon arrival and it’s more than likely that they will want you to meet them, or even brag. This is bound to make you feel bad about being single and quite frankly it can be quite annoying if the bragging is non-stop, especially if you’re not too keen on your flatmate’s partner to start with. You might just have to hide in your room if you know that they’ll be staying for the weekend to make this one feel less awkward.
Flatmate romance can spark quickly, especially when first moving and everybody is on unfamiliar territory with each other. This one can be annoying for all if a one-night stand turns into mixed signals as things can turn awkward quickly for everybody involved. Relationships and friendships can end up breaking and then there is tension for weeks, with additional arguments which start to make the uni experience negative. It’s best to try and work things out with communication before things start getting awkward to point where no one talks anymore.
There’s nothing more annoying than being owed money for helping a flatmate whether it is at the supermarket or on a night out on the town. This is something that appears to happen all the time, and what’s annoying is when your flatmate tries to avoid you in owing the money they rightfully owe you back. It’s best to try and get the money as soon as possible and try not to get in the situation again, as it can be a very frustrating process.
There’s nothing worse than those clingy student housemates that see you have a car, so they want to be taxied around everywhere for the cost of nothing, despite the fact you must pay for the petrol. This is also a careful one to consider as there are flatmates who will use you because they don’t want to walk or take the bus to the supermarket, but just remember it’s up to you who lands on your property.
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