{"id":9984,"date":"2019-10-08T13:10:37","date_gmt":"2019-10-08T13:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/?p=9984"},"modified":"2019-10-08T15:59:02","modified_gmt":"2019-10-08T15:59:02","slug":"how-to-be-the-perfect-housemate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/how-to-be-the-perfect-housemate\/","title":{"rendered":"How to be the perfect housemate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you first start university, it can be tough getting used to an entirely new environment, independent living and co-habiting with often, complete strangers. It is not uncommon that tensions rise in certain situations when living in close proximity and under uni deadline stress. However, I have created this guide to help you play your part in keeping the peace and being an ideal housemate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"634\" height=\"429\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/2909B4B900000578-3095024-image-a-16_1432481821136.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9985\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/2909B4B900000578-3095024-image-a-16_1432481821136.jpg 634w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/2909B4B900000578-3095024-image-a-16_1432481821136-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 634px) 100vw, 634px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Don\u2019t be messy<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s nothing worse than a housemate who creates a ton of mess without cleaning up after themselves. If you keep up on top of all your stuff, especially in communal areas, then everyone will be happier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"845\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/Stopping-your-dog-from-stealing-your-food.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9987\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/Stopping-your-dog-from-stealing-your-food.jpg 845w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/Stopping-your-dog-from-stealing-your-food-300x160.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/Stopping-your-dog-from-stealing-your-food-768x409.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 845px) 100vw, 845px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Eat your own food<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many students will agree that this is one of their pet hates. People stealing your food is so incredibly annoying and ultimately means you are having to pay out to replace it all. This can definitely lead to bad feeling in a house environment so if you do have nothing to eat, make sure you at least ask first before you take something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"383\" height=\"327\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/3449a5fa45ae2ac20f26e39ca2ee1c3a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9989\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/3449a5fa45ae2ac20f26e39ca2ee1c3a.jpg 383w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/3449a5fa45ae2ac20f26e39ca2ee1c3a-300x256.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 383px) 100vw, 383px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Respect your housemates during exam periods<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A lot of people have deadlines at similar times and it is during these stressful periods that we need a bit of peace and quiet to revise. Be mindful and plan your social events around this \u2013 throwing a big house party in the middle of exam season wouldn\u2019t be the nicest thing to do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"740\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/Renting-your-first-student-house-1024x740.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9991\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/Renting-your-first-student-house-1024x740.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/Renting-your-first-student-house-300x217.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/Renting-your-first-student-house-768x555.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/Renting-your-first-student-house.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Try and get stuck in<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Being sociable within a house can certainly make your living experience a lot more enjoyable. Making house meals, going on house outings and so on helps to build better relations and can also make issues easier to solve if they should arise. Plus, no-one really likes a housemate who sits in their room 24\/7!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/1-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9993\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/1-8.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/1-8-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Avoid passive aggressiveness<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leaving passive aggressive notes around the place is not the best way to talk to your fellow housemates and can make small problems a lot worse. Confronting an issue in person will resolve things a lot quicker and people will have more respect for you for doing it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"708\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/paying-bills-original-1024x708.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9995\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/paying-bills-original-1024x708.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/paying-bills-original-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/paying-bills-original-768x531.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Woman doing accounts \/ accounting \/ financial accounts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Pay on time<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is mostly aimed at those going into private rented houses but it is always important to pay your bills on time. This is especially the case if there is someone in the house in charge of bills as they are going to be losing extra money from their bank account which no student can afford to do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"542\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/shutterstock_133525100-1024x542-1024x542.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9997\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/shutterstock_133525100-1024x542.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/shutterstock_133525100-1024x542-300x159.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/shutterstock_133525100-1024x542-768x407.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Have clear communication<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This goes for a number of things, including if you\u2019re are planning on having any parties or guests over to stay. Having clear communication will reduce chances of having misunderstandings and therefore fall-outs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"742\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/dgd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9999\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/dgd.jpg 742w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/dgd-600x291.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/523\/2019\/10\/dgd-300x146.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 742px) 100vw, 742px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Help with the chores<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sadly, the bins don\u2019t go out by themselves, the cleaning\ndoesn\u2019t happen by magic and your washing up won\u2019t wash on its own. This is\nsomething that will have to be discussed between you and your housemates and\ngoes back to the clear communication point. If everyone did their part, your\nhumble abode would be clean in no time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Can you think of any other points? Let me know in the\ncomments below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When you first start university, it can be tough getting used to an entirely new environment, independent living and co-habiting with often, complete strangers. It is not uncommon that tensions [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":1499,"featured_media":9999,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[696,6,7,10,15,694,692],"tags":[915,232,912,390,644,913],"class_list":["post-9984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice-for-students","category-halls-of-residence","category-housemates","category-living-away-from-home","category-settling-in","category-student-life","category-top-tips","tag-flatmates","tag-halls","tag-house","tag-housemates","tag-living-in-halls","tag-residences"],"meta_box":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1499"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9984"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10001,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9984\/revisions\/10001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}