A guide to housemate etiquette 

Living with others has many benefits like expanding your social circle, securing a grander rental property and reducing living costs, but your housemate utopia can turn into a battleground if you’re not careful.

Maximise the ups and minimise the downs of sharing with friends, family or strangers by setting some simple ground rules at the outset. A little tough love in the beginning can help avoid housemate dramas later on. When setting up a share house, keep these simple tips in mind.

Money matters

Addressing money matters is never easy, let alone with your housemates. Making sure you pay exactly what you owe when you owe it is non-negotiable. Holding on to receipts is always a good idea, and try to avoid borrowing money from your housemates. Also think about:

• Utility bills, you need to work out whose name will appear on each bill because the responsibility for payment will fall to that person, as will collecting the money from other housemates. Generally these should be split evenly.
• Household expenses, sharing the costs of cleaning and general household items (like toilet paper and common cooking condiments) will make life much easier.
• Rent, whether your name is on the lease or you are subletting, organising direct debit rental payments to the real estate agent ensures the correct rent is paid on time by all housemates.

Personal space – what’s mine is yours?

Respect each other’s personal space. This includes bedrooms, personal property and the need for time out. Take each other’s work and social schedules into account, and talk about acceptable noise levels and expectations around having friends and partners over.

A little communication goes a long way

Leaving things to fester is not a good strategy and can lead to unnecessary escalation of petty matters. Whether it be the toilet seat, loud music or simply general mess, talk about it as soon as you can, and address the behaviour, not the person – we are all human and have our domestic flaws. Try not to worry about the small stuff, and remember there should be some personal boundaries between housemates.

Cleanliness is next to godliness

Organising a cleaning schedule is a great idea, as is sticking to it. If different housemates prefer specific chores, there’s nothing wrong with divvying them up accordingly. A hassle-free approach is to put in for a cleaner – genius! This is likely to engender housemate peace, love and harmony.

If a dispute with a housemate gets out of hand, you can contact your local community legal centre or the respective tenancy tribunal in your state or territory.