Why Roommates Fight

Even when you move into the perfect apartment with the perfect roommate, arguments and misunderstandings are inevitable. There are common problems that occur when two or more people share a space. But there are also solutions that can work for both or more parties.

Before you actually move in, you should specify which room belongs to each one of the roommates and how much money each is expected to pay for that private space. You might all decide that you want to split the rent equally or you might decide that whoever has the largest room should pay more. The decision should be made before you unpack your moving boxes, so there’s no confusion or hurt feelings.

The question about the expenses besides the rent can be another problem. Discuss all of your shared costs including the rent of course and its due date, but also the utilities such as electricity, phone bill, cable and other bills you might split. Keep bills and receipts in a safe place so that everyone sharing the rent can have access to it. There are even websites that can help you track and manage your shared payments for a more technological approach. To make sure everyone living together is paying on time, talk about the consequences of paying late. Those consequences can be a small extra fee for being late or something like cooking dinner on one occasion. Whatever works for everyone involved.

As roommates, you’ll also want to discuss how long all of you will be sharing the space. Maybe one person plans for a year, while another is thinking just six months. If it’s out in the open, then the remaining roommates can take action and find another roommate to replace the one they’ll lose in six months time. You should also share paying the initial security deposit, but if you break the lease you’ll lose money not to mention maybe friends.

Keeping the home clean should be everyone’s job. Assign every person an area they’ll be responsible for, besides their own room. You should also talk about how to handle damages. What will happen if one of you breaks the washing machine or dishwasher? Who’s responsibility is to get it repaired? Does everyone pitch in because it’s for everyone’s benefit or should the person who broke it fix it?

As you can see there are many things to discuss before you move in with a roommate or two. The more open you are during the initial conversations, the smoother it will be to live within the micro-community. When you’re ready and found a great apartment, let the local Maryland movers help you move in. Our professional moving services are efficient and will have you settled in no time.