Guidelines for Successful Roommates
- Communicate your boundaries:
Examples include: when to quiet down for the evening, what area of the house is
designated for personal space, how to distribute chores, how to ask for help, and
how to talk about when one or both of you are ready for guests to leave, what
items are shared, and what items are personal such as food hygiene produces, or
cleaning products. - Respect:
Please be mindful of each other. Understand the other’s needs. Help each other
out. Do not make one person handle everything. Share responsibilities.
Understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. - Bills:
Create a budget and stick to it! Write down what bills are due and when they are
due. Decide who pays which bill, and how much. Hold each other accountable.
You are in this home together, and you are equally responsible for bills to be paid.
If a bill is unpaid, you both suffer consequences. - Food:
Decide how you BOTH agree to manage food. One way to reduce arguments
over food is to have designated shelves in the pantry and fridge. If there are 3
shelves, you can have one shelf for one person, the second shelf for the other
person, and a third shelf for shared food, and for guests to share. This will help
reduce animosity between roommates, for accidentally eating food meant for
specific person. - Chores:
Decide who does what chore and when. It can be divided into days, rooms, or
specific chores. All parties are responsible for home cleanliness