Flatting tips
If you are flatting, especially in your first year, you may be facing new challenges. You must share a space, sort out the bills and mainly just keep the place livable.
Then there is flatmate conflict. No matter how well you get along with your flat mates, disagreements are bound to happen. Who needs to do the dishes, empty the trash, do the vacuuming etc. Especially if you are a clean freak living with a slob or your flat mate thinks you’re the slob.
Either way, here are some tips for peaceful flatting.
The best thing to do is just be honest about your feelings. Communication is key for conflict resolution. Some tips for efficient communication include alcoholism. Nothing is better for opening up than getting drunk. You could even make it into a drinking game, say what they do that annoys you or take a drink.
Otherwise, being passive-aggressive never fails. Especially if you want them to tidy up the shared spaces. Moving their dirty dishes into their room could be a perfectly irritating way to tell them to clean. Even if it takes you as much effort to move them as to wash them yourself, it’s a great alternative to just talking to them first.
Denial is another tactic more suitable for conflict avoidance. Simply lie when they confront you about an issue. Did you eat my lunch? No. Conflict over. Sure, they probably know you did take their food and they will be angry at you, but remember arguments are a two-way thing. If you don’t engage in it, no arguments happen.
Sure, there are a few other, perhaps less toxic, ways to deal with flat mate conflict. You could create a roster for a weekly clean so that everyone knows their household duties. Establishing ground rules early can help prevent conflict. These ground rules can include respecting each other’s spaces and doing chores on time. Flat meetings can be an effective way to talk about everyone’s issues and expectations and work out compromises.
If dealing with money conflicts, a flat bank account could be set up so that rent money and other flat costs are always paid on time and separated from personal expenses. This can also make it easier to keep track of flat money. Setting reminders for when bills are due is a good idea to make sure everything is paid on time.
As always, communication is key. Avoiding conflict altogether will only make the situation worse. Even if it is an unpleasant conversation, talking it out is the best way to sort out your flatting problems.