Tips for Sharing accommodation

Tips for sharing accommodation

When renting out shared accommodation, many students will agree that it can go either way – you’re huddled up with a bunch of great people, always up for a laugh and some serious fun, or, you sadly end up with a random group, all pretty much stuck in their ways. How can you improve banter and flatmate relationships, you may wonder? Here are our top student socialising tips to make your flatshare as fun as possible:

Flatmate Do’s:

- Get talking: Ok, so this might seem like a bit of an obvious choice, but you can wiggle out some interesting conversation out of even the most reticent of flatmates through topical chit-chat. Why not ask them what sort of music they’re into, or better still, offer to watch a good artsy foreign film with them? Even if it’s only for a couple of hours, you might find that you share similar interests with at least a couple of your home buddies.

- Ready, steady, cook: A table for one is not exactly much fun, at home or in a restaurant. Why not try sharing your cooking with others, or better still, assign tasks to three or four of your flatmates to cook up a storm in the kitchen. If you’re not much of a chef, you could always order in some take-away, or take care of the drinks whilst others rustle something up with a few pots and pans.

- Drinking games: These are fail-proof ways of getting people talking around a sofa or kitchen table. Be a bit more daring than ‘I have never…’ or Truth or Dare and get the heads spinning with some alternative games, perhaps with some foreign banter. The rules are simple: you think of a word, in a foreign language, and others need to add on an extra word related to the theme, but in a foreign language.

- Let’s get physical: Cleaning doesn’t have to be a chore, if you set out some simple rules from the beginning – share the tasks, and if you’re living in a big house or flat, chances are you won’t have to do much per week! Put some music on or have a film playing on in the background, with a cup of tea shared with your roomies at the end.

Biggest Don’ts:

- Smells. Don’t stink out the place with your cigarette smoke, body odour or mouldy dishes in your room. Your mum doesn’t find it attractive, and chances are, nor do your flatmates.

- Stashing cutlery or mugs in your room. Leave at least a couple of knives and forks in the kitchen – don’t go round hording cutlery as it’s not really going to make you any friends in the long run.

- Playing your music out loudly in the early hours of the morning. Really like the new Katy Perry tune? Make sure your flatmates do too, especially if you’re stomping it out after a night out clubbing.

- Staining or damaging the house. Get some Vanish stain remover, and quick. If someone’s stained the floor, either in your bedroom or the communal areas, you won’t want your deposit taken away at the end of your lease.

- Stealing food. Ok, well maybe you can have a little bit of that chocolate sitting on the fridge shelf, but expect it to be done back to you. Even if you lick everything you own. In front of people.

Advice from Thecityrooms.com