How to Handle Issues With Your Roommates

Handling issues with your roommates can be tough. It’s never fun to confront someone, especially when that someone shares your living space. However, most issues can be resolved with simple changes, polite conversations, and minimal awkwardness.

These are some of our best tips for resolving roommate conflicts. 

Create a shared chore chart

One of the most common issues among roommates involves cleanliness. Everyone is different and has different preferences about how they like to keep their home. Some people are total neat freaks, while others are a little more laid-back.

No matter how you like to keep the house, a chore chart is the easiest way to avoid conflict in this area. You can download a free, printable chore chart from The Spruce Crafts. A chore chart will help you divide up the daily and weekly cleaning tasks among the roommates.

Establish the rules of the fridge

Are you a share-the-milk person or a get-your-own-groceries person? It’s important to set these boundaries as soon as you move into a new apartment. Don’t become the person who starts labeling their food passively aggressively at night. 

If someone’s drinking your milk and you’re not a fan, just ask them politely not to. Direct communication is always the best way to handle a conflict, especially if your roommate may not even realize it is one. They might expect you to drink out of their milk next time around.

Get to know each other

A lot of these issues can be completely avoided altogether when you take the time to get to know your roommate. It’s a lot harder to get annoyed at your roommate when you consider yourselves friends. Take some time to do things together — like these fun activities specifically for staying home with your roommates. 

Be respectful of each other

Not to sound like your second-grade teachers, but always treat others like you want to be treated. Don’t bring over a lot of guests without consulting your roommate. You have every right to bring over a study group or have a drink on Friday night, but it’s their space too. Be sure to check with one another before doing something that might infringe on their comfort.

Learn to adapt.

Most people don’t like noise that disrupts their sleep or their work. It’s important that you understand and try to limit your own noise so you do not disturb your roommates. 

If you value a quiet environment, it might be a good idea to get a pair of noise-canceling headphones for when things get loud. If your roommates are consistently too loud, have a conversation with them about it and brainstorm solutions.

The best answer for most tough issues with your roommate is to just address the problem directly. Always be polite and understanding with your roommate. And if that doesn’t work it might be best to just find a new roommate.

Luckily for you, if you live in a Tripalink co-living apartment, they offer roommate-matching services, so you don’t have to stress over major differences. They make sure that you’re matched with someone who has a similar personality type, and if the match doesn’t work out for some reason, they can transfer you.