Staying In

First-time Flatsharing: Things to Expect

Hello FlokqJune 8, 2020

Moving to live on your own can sound like a pretty big deal, but everyone’s experience will undoubtedly be different. The biggest difference would be whether you will be living alone or with a roommate, especially with flatsharing. Whether that’s flatsharing with people that your landlord or landlady already got, or your friend, things are bound to change.

Read also: Questions For Potential Roommates
Why Minimalism Makes Coliving Easier
Roommate Red Flags You Shouldn’t Ignore

While you can have most of your daily routine that you do alone when having roommates, there will be adjustments. These adjustments are things that will be a shock for some people, and for others, a walk in the park. Luckily for you, we’re here to prepare you for that, so here are some things that you should expect from having roommates.

1. A Different Sense of Privacy

First thing’s first, when moving to live with a roommate, you’ll notice that although you’re in different rooms, privacy means differently. One of the things that you’ll notice is that having an alone time will more or less be more constrained. For example, when you want to call your significant other, you’ll somewhat want to call from your room. Another is when you want to perhaps surf the web in the living room, some people will feel uncomfortable. Especially when you know that someone may come any minute. 

Even a simple singing in the shower will make you second guess your bubbly concert because someone might be listening. So just adapt yourself to your surroundings and maybe call or sing when there’s no one there. Maybe for those already bonding or familiar with their roommates, this part would be less needed!

2. Fewer Chores

One thing that people living alone will already know, chores are abundant when you live far from home and parents. This ranges from keeping the bathroom clean, washing the dishes, taking out the trash, or doing some good old brooming. Luckily, for those with roommates, this task becomes a collective need and the burden can be split accordingly.

When it comes to people with roommates, splitting chores can mean that you get to do less for full benefit. So first things first, divide the task as soon as you know who your roommate will be. Finding a middle ground for example, who cooks and who wash the dishes is actually an easy process. It doesn’t even need to be strict and not changeable. Just make it as comfortable as you can.

3. More Talking

For those who are usually living alone, having roommates changes things in the sense that you may talk more. This is because you’ll discuss some if not many things about the flat you share and the necessities of living there. Not just for hanging out around the flat, but also about what really needs to be done or changed there.

Think of whether the flat needs to subscribe to another streaming service, needs a faster WiFi, or a game console. You’ll need to talk it out with your roommate(s) and make sure that it won’t bother in the future. You’ll probably have only one TV, how will you guys split it? Should you split it? Should one person buy another? These are all the relevant questions that might pop up during your flatshare.

4. (Possibly) Less Spending

For all of the conveniences in flatsharing and having roommates, spending less will undoubtedly be on the list. There are many aspects where flatsharing in terms of spending will come in handy. One easy example is on monthly groceries and even for ordering your daily food when you happen to not cook. You can buy bigger with less spending because you’ll be splitting them accordingly.

This can be an advantage when you want to subscribe to a streaming service, the whole flat can chip in. Spending can be especially cheap for house parties and occasions such as game night. The possibility of spending less with roommate(s) is almost endless!

5. Pet peeves

Now, this part is about things you can’t really rationalize since these are things that annoy, really annoying. Some people might be wanting a real tidy arrangement of things in the flat, while others don’t care. Some might want absolute silence when they work or study at home, while others can study wherever and whenever. Some might get a real bad mood real fast at the smell of certain cuisines or food around the flat.

Whatever the case is, these are stuff that you should know about. If you didn’t know them at first, try not to do them unless it’s really needed. At least give your roommate(s) a heads-up whenever you might trigger their pet peeve. It would really help bring the general mood of the flat in a better direction.

6. Be more considerate

Aside from taking into account the change in what privacy means, living with roommates makes you be more considerate. Maybe even more considerate than you usually are. Sure, we’ve laid out the changes in life that you should expect when having roommates around the collective flat. It also means that you need to adjust things from time to time.

For example, when your roommate has been really busy during the week, maybe switch your chores for once. You’ll be living under the same roof presumably for long, so try to make it as comfortable for everyone. Doing so will make you and your roommate(s) more trustful of another. That way, you can count on each other for even more important stuff in the future should it be needed.

So there you have it, a small list of things to expect when you’re about to flatshare. The idea here is to give a little peek into flat sharing life that you’re about to get into. So yes, the list is not thorough but we hope it gives you a clearer picture than before. Going back to what we’ve said, it’s all part of ‘adulting’. This time, being an adult will mean making a possibly chaotic space feeling like home. So buckle up for another chapter of your life!