Student life usually implies living far away from home, whether it be in university or private accommodation. Depending on your choice, you could be living in shared or non-shared accommodation. This article outlines the main issues of living with friends and how these can be dealt with.
Shared Expenses
One thing about living with friends is that you would have to talk about money and as a general rule; friends do not talk about money – especially when the friendship is rather new (less than one year). You would have to ask for money if bills need to be paid and any other common expenses such as cleaning products, shared food or even toilet roll. This may be unpleasant at times, but if you can have these discussions and save possible embarrassment of admitting that you will have the required money in two days. Having clear communication with your housemates should make living together have less disruptions or any ill feelings directed at yourself or your friends.
Household Chores
When moving in with friends it would be best to discuss aspects concerning your accommodation such as cleaning shifts. You may find out that some prefer to wash their dirty dishes only after three days while you may be more of a clean freak and always wash them immediately after you have eaten. In this case, rules may work for a while but during exam period or coursework week your housemates may forget any of these rules. Communication is key in such a situation. You have to let each other know when something is against your wishes and reach a mutual compromise.
Privacy
Another issue that may come up is privacy. Living together with other people may cause some issues as you may feel that you are never alone. While you could be really good friends with them, you may sometimes wish to have your own time without any interruptions. On the other hand, being left alone may turn out to be a horrible experience as you would lack the companionship of your friends and wish you could have movie nights more often than you initially thought. This is a trade-off situation where you should ask yourself which is more important and based on this decision choose wisely.
As you can see, living in shared accommodation with friends can have its downsides and upsides. The decision of who you are going to live with is as important as picking the right accommodation for you. Contemplate this decision thoroughly as you will have to live with these friends for the length of your accommodation.