If you're reading this, chances are that you're looking for some advice on how to deal with the issues that crop up when flat sharing. We've all been there, and we know how hard it can be when your flatmates are driving you crazy.
Read on for an overview of common student flat share problems and some tips about how to avoid them (or deal with them if they do happen).
Cleaning up after yourself is an important part of living in a shared house. Make sure you clean up after yourself in your bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. Communal areas also need to be cleaned regularly, so this might mean hoovering the sitting room and cleaning the fridge.
If you make a mess, clean it up straight away! It’s not fair to leave it for someone else to deal with. If you spill something on the carpet or make a big mess in the kitchen, clear it up immediately.
If guests are staying over at your flat, ask them to help with cleaning duties. It’s easy for things to get messy when there are lots of people around so remind guests that they need to clean up after themselves too!
A good way of making sure that everyone helps out with household chores is by setting up a cleaning rota (or schedule). To do this, each person should take turns doing different jobs at various points during the term. This could mean each person taking responsibility for certain chores for one week or one month at a time.
Cooking smells can be annoying to others in shared living spaces, and you should make sure that your cooking won’t bother anyone else.
Dishes are a real nuisance when it comes to flatshares. The smallest things can be an absolute pain when you’re sharing a kitchen, and dishes are the worst. You use them for your meals, then you leave them in the sink because it’s inconvenient to wash them up straight away. But then your housemates use those same dishes and put them somewhere else, which means by the end of the week there are multiple piles of dirty dishes everywhere.
Money is the main problem for students. You can find cheap student flats in London if you look around.
Student flats can range in price, but it’s worth paying a bit extra as your travel costs will be less. The most important thing is to decide how much money you want to spend each week on everything, including:
- -Rent
- -Food
- -Transport
- -Other things like clothes, going out, and so on…
One of the biggest complaints in student flats is that they were not informed about the party you decided to throw at the flat, and even worse when a large group of strangers turn up. If you want to avoid any problems with your flatmates, here are a few tips on how to throw a party:
- Make sure you let your flatmates know about the party in advance and discuss with them what time it will finish
- Clean up after yourself, especially if there are bottles or food leftover from the party
- Don’t invite total strangers back to your apartment
Student flat share problems are common, but they can usually be managed through consideration and having some rules in place!
Check out the Student Housing Guide by StudyFlats or contact us today to see how we can help you find student flats in the UK.
