In our last post about roommates, we covered strategies for living successfully with your fellow podmates. But it’s also important to talk about behaviours you should avoid; here’s what drives roommates crazy and can cause enough conflict to turn your experience (and theirs) into a negative one.

1. Not pulling your weight. Don’t be the roommate that never does the dishes or buys groceries. When it’s your turn, don’t slack off. Post a schedule where everyone can see, and if you need to trade off, go ahead – but make sure you make up for it later to keep everything fair.

2. Making a mess. You’re not living at mom and dad’s place anymore. If you’re messy or you aren’t helping out with vacuuming or bathroom duty, it’s bound to cause resentment with the people that ARE doing the work.

3. Spreading out your stuff. If your things are monopolizing the living space or your shared bedroom, it will make your other roommates feel like the place isn’t their home as well.

4. Ignoring concerns. If your roommates have raised an issue, don’t brush it aside. Take it seriously. Communication is key to getting along, and that includes listening.

5. Being argumentative. Turning everything into a conflict creates a tense atmosphere that’s unpleasant to be in – and you want your home to be a place where you can relax, especially after a long shift at work.

6. Not respecting house rules. If you ignore rules you’ve all set together, it shows a lack of respect for your roommates, and can lead to problems. For example, some pods have a “no overnight guests” policy – if you ignore the rules, you’ll end up making people uncomfortable and unhappy.

Happy roommates, happy experience! We’d love to hear your tips about how you get along with the people you live with – feel free to share in the comments section below.

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