It is normal for people living together to disagree occasionally. If you are living away from home for the first time and are now sharing with others, you may find the dynamic difficult. Sometimes conflict can occur. Living with others often requires tolerance and compromise.
We recommend three tips to help prevent conflict:
- Agree ground rules early: For example, what is shareable and what is not? What are your standards in relation to keeping common areas clean and tidy? How do you feel about the other housemates having people over? Try to respect other people’s boundaries, be clear about your own, and be open to compromise where possible.
- Create a rota: A cleaning schedule that fairly and evenly divides the work among your housemates can help prevent disagreements later on. You may consider putting some money into a kitty and buying some communal cleaning supplies.
- Have a regular check-in: A “house meeting” once a month can provide an opportunity to discuss if everything is working and provides an opportunity for early and informal resolution of any issues. It can feel less confrontational than waiting for issues to arise.
(opens in a new window)Spunout.ie also has some good tips on flat sharing which you might want to consider.