During you University career there will surely be a time when you are able to chose where you live and with whom. Sharing a house with friends can certainly be a lot of fun, however, if there are no basic agreements and rules between you then things can quickly fall apart. Here are a few tips I have learnt from experience to ensure an amicable living environment.



The chances are that in the house you are moving to there are bedrooms of different sizes. A few may be relatively similar, however one room may clearly be the largest, maybe even featuring a double bed, when another one may feel like a cupboard. Hopefully, the sizes will not differ dramatically, but with landlords and ladies attempting to convert every space into a room these days, for extra money, there is a good chance they will vary.

There needs to be a way of dealing with this problem. Firstly, do not demand a certain room, as this is a sure way of making enemies. I suggest talking to your fellow house mates about which rooms they want. You may find that some people actually prefer and would chose a small room. If this is the case, where everyone is going to stay may not be a problem at all. If, however, you can not all agree, I recommend making up labels with a description of each room and pulling them out of a hat at random. If only two of you want the same room, why not make a short and long stick, get someone to hold them, then the one who picks the shortest gets the smallest room. Alternatively, flip a coin and agree beforehand whether heads or tails means having the big room. Basically, any fair way of deciding is appropriate.

Moving in with friends may mean that you are now living with people who smoke and who do not have to obey the non smoking rules of University accommodation. On the other hand you may be the smoker, who perhaps used to smoke regardless of the rules at University. Thinking about who or where people smoke has probably not been a top concern for you previously, however, it can suddenly become a big issue amongst you, if you do not sort out certain rules before moving in.

If everyone in the house is a smoker you may agree to smoke inside the house, or decide to only smoke outside. If there is a mixture of smokers and non smokers, make sure you ask what everyone prefers. If there is one person who does not want smoke in the house, their wishes should be respected, as they have to live there too. Passive smoking can be dangerous and shouldn't be forced upon people against their will. Make sure you smoke outside if this is the case, even if this seems a bit unfair, especially on cold, rainy days. It may be possible to meet half way and agree to people smoking only in their bedrooms.

It is a well known fact that the majority of students can be lazy when it comes to house work, resulting in a disgusting mess. Nevertheless, an effort should be made to keep communal areas relatively clean. I don't mean they should look like the Ritz, I simply mean, making sure pizza boxes are put in recycling bags and other litter goes in the bin. Keep the washing up to a minimum, as if left undone, the smell can be horrendous and blitz the bathroom once a week.

Without trying to sound too regimented, it may be useful to draw up a rota, because then everyone has an equal share of the cleaning. Furthermore, if things are not done you can ask the person responsible to do it, making it harder for people to complain that they have done enough already, or to say it is not their duty. If everyone sticks to their specific jobs, the work will be spread out and those lazy people can be prompted.

When living with others it is important not to steal their food from the fridge. If you have come to the end of your student loan or overdraft and are surviving on five pence noodles, when someone else has a pizza, it can be very tempting to eat it yourself. However, food is expensive for everyone and it is not nice to come home hungry, reach for the mouth watering pizza you had saved, as an easy meal after a long day, only to find it has disappeared. This can cause great tension in the house, as if no one owns up to having eaten it, you all become a suspect. Missing bites from cakes and finger marks in humus are not pleasant either.

Living with friends will hopefully be a great laugh as you get to know each other better. Time in the house should be full of fun, games, drinking, partying and socialising. However, each house mate must also have respect for each other. This means not playing music incredibly late into the night, unless you are having a party, or it had been otherwise agreed. This rule is important, especially if somebody has an early lecture the next day, deadline, exam, job interview, or anything else of importance.

You must respect each other's personal space and not invade people's rooms without their permission. Don't invite a whole group of friends round without telling your house mates first. Of course, it is you life and your chance to have as much fun as possible, however, a little bit of courtesy goes along way. If you manage to avoid upsetting people by being that bit more respectful, you will probably find that your house mates will be accepting of more than they might be if you were rude and inconsiderate.

Everyone has their own irritating routines and habits, however, when you share a house these can become extremely grating for those living with you. For instance, don't play computer games all day long in the front room and then refuse to move when a house mate politely asks you if they can watch Eastenders. Try and think of others, as well as yourself. It is not a case of stepping on eggshells around each other, just simply trying to be aware that you are not the only one living there.

Once a few basic guidelines have been put in place, you should have a good living environment and a happy atmosphere. There are bound to be problems that need ironing out here and there. However, if you are sensible and think ahead you can eliminate awkward teething problems that could get you off to a bad start, which could potentially lead to a bad year. Forward planning and discussions with your house mates will definitely help you to avoid unnecessary stress.