Before you decide to live with them, it is so important to get to know your (potential) flatmate. If you have already decided on a flatmate and forgot to ask them these questions,\u00a0don\u2019t worry! You can still bring them up now if you feel it is necessary.\u00a0Living with someone else in such close quarters is difficult enough. Try to understand where they are coming from to make life living together easier. Here are 20 questions to ask your flatmate.<\/p>\n
The key to this, especially with random flatmates, is honesty. A lot of people don\u2019t want to admit that they\u2019re messy, but it\u2019s okay to be messy! But you definitely don\u2019t want a flatmate that says they\u2019re going to be clean and then after a few weeks realise that you can\u2019t even see their side of the room and you have to apologise\u00a0for the mess when guests come over! Make sure you are honest and up front with them!<\/p>\n
It\u2019s always good to start off with an easy topic that anyone can relate to. When you both like the same artist it can make for exciting and fun dance sessions in your room and help start a friendship.<\/p>\n
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Nothing can turn more passive aggressive than the\u00a0thermostat battle. If you like the room cool, it\u2019s horrible to wake up in the middle of the night sweating profusely. So the best thing to do in this situation is set up a temperature you both agree on in the room.<\/p>\n
This goes hand in hand with the one above. The last thing you want is no time to the room by yourself, so setting up a schedule for times to be alone in the room is a must.<\/p>\n
Not knowing this can cause a lot of tension between you and your future flatmate. If you are an introvert you may expect to be in the room alone quite a bit and if your flatmate is an extrovert there may always be people in your room, depriving you of your alone time. Even if you are both introverts there can be issues when wanting alone time.<\/p>\n
You wouldn\u2019t want to leave your peanut butter jar out in the open if your flatmate is a few feet away and severely allergic! It seems trivial, but these little questions help your flatmate know you care about creating a positive environment to live in.<\/p>\n
Is it okay for your flatmate to eat your snacks or drink your coffee? What\u00a0about sharing clothes?<\/p>\n
Do you go out, stay in, or do they expect to hang out with you? Do they work late hours? Make sure you both have a clear idea of each other\u2019s expectations.<\/p>\n
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Maybe having boyfriends in the room isn\u2019t okay with you or your flatmate. Will they allow partying, drinking, or drugs in the room? Some of these things may be intolerable for them or you, make sure you set rules on what you will or won\u2019t have in the room.<\/p>\n
You always want to make sure that things are split up evenly, it\u2019s no fun to be doing all of the cleaning in the room. And surely your flatmate doesn\u2019t want to be doing the same.<\/p>\n
What are your flatmate\u2019s ideas of privacy, is it okay to be in the room when you\u2019re Skyping or talking on the phone or is it not?<\/p>\n
You forget to clean out the coffee pot\u2026 again. Sure it may be due to the fact that you\u2019re late to class, but you can\u2019t go on without your coffee. How will your flatmate remind you that you need to clean it or that you should leave more time to prepare in the morning? Will they leave the dreaded sticky notes or will they tell you? Know each other\u2019s communication styles so you don\u2019t get more upset when the situation could be avoided.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s always uncomfortable when you are face to face with your flatmate\u2019s mom in the middle of the week right after class. So guest expectations are important to set up, especially letting them know how many people and when they\u2019re coming over.<\/p>\n
Pretty sure you don\u2019t want to walk in on your flatmate and their significant other hitting it off one night. And vice versa, quite awkward for both parties! So the best way to avoid this is to set up boundaries or a communication system of when they can have their alone time (A simple text message works or if you have a whiteboard maybe draw a symbol to let the other know!)<\/p>\n
Does your flatmate like to stay up late with the lights on, or do they go to bed at 7:00 PM? It can get annoying to have someone waking you up when you\u2019re asleep or you having to tiptoe into the room by the light of your flashlight, trying to get ready for bed or find whatever you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n
This is a bit simpler, who is going to bring the microwave, the fridge, the futon, or maybe extra lamps? Is it a necessity that you spread out the major purchases or will one person cover more?<\/p>\n
Can they play music late at night or while you\u2019re studying? If you\u2019re asleep can they turn on the lights or do they need to use a dim light?<\/p>\n
What someone is studying says a lot about who they are as a person, their passions, interests, and goals. Asking your flatmate this will help you get a better sense of understanding their personality. Who knows, you may even be able to bond over it!<\/p>\n
Having a coordinating room is aesthetically pleasing and can be much more relaxing to come home to after a long day of classes. Although this isn\u2019t necessary, it can make the room much more inviting.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t smoke or vape and your flatmate does, setting boundaries on where they can smoke it essential because you definitely don\u2019t want to walk into the room and have everything smell like tobacco (or something else).<\/p>\n
Before you decide to live with them, it is so important to get to know your (potential) flatmate. If you have already decided on a flatmate and forgot to ask them these questions,\u00a0don\u2019t worry! You can still bring them up now if you feel it is necessary.\u00a0Living with someone else in such close quarters is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19138,"featured_media":74663,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":true},"categories":[1794],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-74653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-in-halls"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n