Establish some basic rules from the beginning.
1) Is smoking allowed? What about pets?
These are questions you need to know the answer to pretty sharpish. If someone asks if they can bring a pet – don’t assume they mean a fluffy kitten or cute puppy – either of which bring their own sets of issues – allergies, shoe eating, fur balls etc. But what if your potential new flatmate has a pet komodo dragon – those things will have your leg off! So make sure you ask!
If you are not a smoker and the new guy is, then consider if you really want the house infested with secondary smoke.
2) Clean Clean Clean!
Develop a weekly schedule for the housework tasks, this way everybody will understand they have a role to play in keeping the house clean and tidy. Or if rows over chores heat up, how about a cleaner?. If you split the cost evenly, it won’t be very much and could lead to a happy household.
3) Party on…
Always try to tell your flatmates if you are inviting friends over for a dinner or a party, no one wants to arrive at home and discover their house has been turned into T in the Park with a bunch of random strangers! Have clear rules – giving your flat mates plenty of notice for loud and noisy gatherings or if you have that “someone special” staying with you for a few days.
4) Communication is king!
To save any misunderstandings between everyone living in your flat, create an easy and visible method of communication. Set up a instant messaging group,and if all else fails – a pin board on the kitchen wall is always a good place to leave notes for others, i.e “The landlord will be arriving on Tuesday”.
5) Money Matters…
If there are things that everyone at the flat shares (washing powder, hand soap etc.) why not suggest that every month everybody puts an agreed amount of money in a piggybank and when those things are needed, you use that money.
Record even the little things like £2 dish washing liquid. It may seem trivial, but these things really add up, and it can breed discontent in the flat if people feel they’re the only ones replacing the loo rolls.
And remember, if you want to rent a flat we’ve a new rental app available on Android and iOS.