I know many of you scionlifers have, had, or will have roommates in your life and for the most part they can be a good experience, but then there are the bad. I wanted to start a thread to talk about proper roommate etiquette that I think often is overlooked. Please share you stories and/or rules you think roommates should follow to not start quarrels.

The reason I wanted to start this today (and the first roommate etiquette on this thread) was because of an event that happened to me and this morning that got me extremely ____ed:

I woke up today at 5:20am to get to work by 6, I go and take a shower when I finished I dried off and left the bathroom to get dressed, but left the light on so that I could come back brush my teeth and hair. But then when I least expect it my freaking roommate wakes up and takes a shower…so I wait there hoping he would take a shower and do the same, get out of the bathroom. No, he shaves & takes his time with no consideration!!! I wait as long as I could but ended up having to go to work with out brushing my teeth or my hair. I’m glad I didn’t see him when I was leaving I might have swung at him. (End of vent)

If you have a roommate and have to share a bathroom WAIT until your roommate turns off the bathroom light, that means he/she is done using it.

 

or get an appartment with 2 bathrooms

 

its a condo with three, this roommate and I are the only ones who have to share.

 

If you live with a non-smoker and you smoke, have the decency to not smoke everywhere in the apartment.

If one person is going to bed early to get up for work, throw on some headphones or just turn down the speakers on your computer so it isn't loud as all hell.

If you leave something out in a common room because you are going to bed, thats fine, but throw the trash away the next day. Don't let it sit there and pile up.

You used the dishes....wash them.

Clean your hair out of the tub so it doesn't clog the drain.

Oh you just shaved? Yeah I can tell because you left all the debris around the sink in a dirty _______ fashion.

If one roommate is watching TV or a movie or something, you don't have to compete with your stereo speakers for loudest noise in the place.

And the one that gets me everyday:

If you work days and your roommate works nights, he will most likely be trying to sleep when you get up for work. Turn your god damn alarm off when you wake up. There is no reason to let it go for an extra half hour while you make breakfast.


Edit: forgot one

Don't invite other people to live with you without talking it over with your current roommate.

 

ugh

this year i have roomates from effing hell.

All 3 smoke (tobacco, hookahs, pot) and i dont
they all play reggae which i cant stand
they all smoke in the house, which not only bothers me with the smell and such, but it makes it so that none of my friends ever want to come over.
they're always invite their friends over to "chill" nearly every night until 1 and 2 in the morning. Granted i'm up that late, but they're loud.
messy? my apartment except for my room is a wreck.

i've asked them to clean up, i've asked them to be quiet, i've asked them to go outside when they're smoking.

ugh. at least they leave come the end of may.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way I was begining to think that I was wierd.

My roommates are some of the messy people I know, granted I'm not a clean freak, but damn. I think I'm the only one who even throws out the trash and I only do it because my dog will go crazy through it. God forbid they take it out so my dog wont make a bigger mess.

 

#1 only choose compatible roommates (music type, times you work)
#2 if you don't smoke, don't become roommates with those who do, unless you don't whine(guess what smokers do, they smoke. and with today's laws, these people are going to smoke at home, because there is almost no place else. and no smokers don't have to go outside of their own home if they don't want to. I don't smoke tobacco anymore, but i'll say non-smokers can be dumb about that situation).
#3 if you feel like the odd man out in a house full of people, you are, so move out.
#4 use only paper plates & plastic cups, unless each person does dishes constantly(but don't ever count on it.)
#5 make hard rules, like you get upto 20minutes in the bathroom per hour. you leave you lost your turn.
#6 shave in the shower, brush teeth in the shower, don't trust people with sinks (and rinse it the **** out)
#7 don't bring home loud drunk girls home unless you brought an extra for your roommate(s)
#8 don't pick alcoholic roommates. especially if you too are an alcoholic.
#9 make a no cat ever policy rule upfront
#10 If you like to nag, call up your mom or something. It drives normal people insane, and makes them want to choke out their roommates who do.
#11 If you're not sure if you're a nag, you are. You are not just reminding people what you want them to do.
#12 If you get a female roommate, sleep with her asap and then move out. it's not going to work. She's not going to understand that even though you live together, she shouldn't nag you like she nags her boyfriend.

 

The alarm issue is key. Hitting snooze doesn't turn it off. One of my roommates was staying with his GF for the night and he forgot to turn off his 7AM alarm, so Saturday morning, at 7AM the thing goes off... that sucked. Otherwise though, I've known both of my roommates since high school, so if someone's being a douche, we let each other know right away so it doesn't build up. My roommate situation is actually pretty decent.

Our only problem is doing dishes, but that's everyone's fault.

 

^^Yeah I had to leave the rents house in a hurry so I had to settle for where I live now. Though, I have been trying to get my high school buddies to chip in and get a place...hopefully things go well this summer

 

Boyz r messy
Girls tend to be cleaner

Gawd I HATE visiting guys' places, dirt everywhere, especially the bathroom....cmmon it's hygene, I prefer to get an unrinary track infection from keeping pee in thant peeing in that environment. YUK.

So choose a female roomie.

I've had the same room mate for 22 years and 9 months. My twin.

 

and it will always be a problem. buy a big thing of paper plates and plastic cups. Save up, as it'll cost you like $5 for 1-2 months worth.

 

Nothing's worse than having a roomate say "I don't have all the rent money this month. Can you help me out?" You have a job, learn how to budget your money!!

 

Dave, I'm not trying to rude or anything, but you seem to have a big, "If you aren't me then screw you" attitude.

I understand this is all things that will be different person to person, and I expect people to disagree with each other on them, but you really got me confused on something. out of curiosity, when you said that non-smokers can be dumb about the smoking issue, what did you mean? Do you mean that its just a compromise that non-smokers have to deal with or something? I just have a hard time figuring that one out. I see it as if 2 people move into a place together, they should both make changes to the way they live. I know in my situation, I have made a good amount of them but it seems my roommate hasn't bothered to make any.

 

My solution:

Bide your time until you're financially stable enough to live without a room mate.

 

I mean about complaining all the time how it smells and how everyone has an allergic reaction to cigarette smoke("no, but i really am allergic"). Smoking smells, yes; it creates smoke, yes. This is nothing new and people have been doing it for 100+ years. Our society created it, and yet people just whine about it. Everyone I know benefits from cigarette sales(i'm sure most people forget the impact kraft/nabisco/etc.. brands have on the entire food industry). Again, I don't smoke tobacco anymore, i did for 13 years a pack a day. But if you're going to make smoking legal, then you have to let people smoke, at home especially if you're going to take it out of public places. If you want to go anywhere you want without having to deal with smoke, then they want to go anywhere they want without having to deal with whiny non-smokers.

this is fine, make compromises when living together. But I imagine you want him to not smoke in his own home, and anything else is not a compromise in your eyes. That's not how compromises work, see he can choose what compromises he wants to make, and if you don't like them, don't move in together. Being a roommate with a smoker you have to know that he's going to smoke, right? It's like being a waitress in a bar where there is smoking. Why complain, you knew what you're getting into, right?

What compromise did you make that changed your lifestyle? Was it anything near as impactful on your lifestyle as what you're asking?

 

I did actually give up my music to get a roommate. I gave up and sold my drums to make room to have someone come move in with ME. To a drummer of 15 years, thats a big change. Also, I made the sacrifice of living solo, to bring in a friend. Sure I benefit from having a roommate when the bills come in, but thats neither here nor there.

I don't care if he quits, but we have an enclosed porch in the back, and he has his own room. What would be so hard to smoke there? Also, he moved in with a non-smoker and he knows my stand on smoking. My grandmother has the oxygen tank to show nothing good comes from it.

 

WOW, So from what I read, you lived by yourself in a 2 bedroom home/apt. for a while and then a hard-up friend asked if he could move in with you and the nice guy you are said "yes, but let me sell my drums first so I can give you my spare bedroom."

If that's what you trully did, you are just being nice and he's not really a roommate, but a guy you are helping out. I'd have said, "ok, but you're not allowed to smoke in my house, take it or leave it" and I think you would have too, had that been the situation, but I don't think that's quite the situation.

is it actually enclosed(i.e. a room separate from the elements) or is it a covered porch where the cold and rain get to? If so, that's reason #1 it's not being used. How often do you hang out on the porch, once every hour or so for 10+ minutes? Not so exciting sounding, huh?

and personally when I smoked at home, I liked to smoke, have a drink and watch some tv or play video games at the same time. Sometimes I'd have friends over and we'd smoke and drink in the kitchen. I mean it is my house and I was an adult. I didn't like to smoke in bed, or even in my room, because i did want one room at least to not smoke in, and constantly engulfing your own hanging clothes with smoke makes them smell 24/7.

 

It's enclosed as in attached to the house windows, doors and walls kinda deal.

You brought up my exact reason for despising the smoking. I keep my clothes in a closet that is off of the main room. He smokes in the main room and my clothes stink. He keeps his clothes in a closet right next to mine. My bedroom is the only room that doesn't have the stench of stale smoke. My furniture I brought into my apartment now smells of smoke.

If someone lets you move in, have some respect for their stuff. I don't go about getting all of his things filthy with stench.

 

Kick him out. Voila'...

 

I have a thing with causing a friend to become homeless. I just can't do it,