6 Rules to Live in Harmony in a Student Residence
Finding Student Accommodation in Dublin is even easier and more affordable when you are searching for places shared with other students. I have to say I had plenty of fun in those student periods, I was always meet new people from different countries, making new friends, learning about different cultures. Indeed, there was no time to feel bored. Sharing a house with international students was definitely the best decision I have ever made in my life. It was a sort of safe haven when living far away from my family and friends. The longer you live with your housemates, the more they feel like a part of your family. However, we all know that sharing a house can cause a lot of conflicts. From sorting out who the cleaning dates to shower times it can be hard to find harmony in student residence
Take a look at our Student Accommodation in Dublin City Centre.
Even though conflicts are inevitable, after five years of experience, I have learned that the best way to avoid them is by being transparent with each other and set some boundaries as soon as you start living together.
For that reason, I have prepared a list of 6 thing you should do to being a great housemate when sharing student residence in Dublin.
1. Decide How to Clean the House
Cleaning up a shared house must be is a team effort. It can seem way easier when you have more hands to help, or harder, as there are more people dirtying the place too. Cleaning is anyone’s favourite thing to do and it can be hard to decide the way it should be done. What I used to do was creating a cleaning schedule with my housemates, dividing the tasks among each other, one would mop the floor, the other would clean the dishes, and so on. We would decide together which day of the week we would “celebrate the cleaning day”. That worked well for a while until someone started complaining that removing the dust off was way easier than mopping the floor. What’s the lesson we can take from it? Always ensure that the tasks are divided up fairly no to cause any future problems.
I advise discussing with everyone about what chores are necessary to keep each area of the house clean and figure out how often it should be done- daily, weekly, monthly?
You can take turns to clean different areas of the house, like one week you clean the living room, the other week you clean the kitchen while someone else cleans the living room and so forth. Or everyone can be responsible for one particular place of the house every week.
2. Clean Up After Yourself
Being messy is just a habit it can be changed! Changing your bad habits may help you become a more organized person. Learning how to live with less can be a good start to finding harmony in student residence and is very convenient when you don’t have much space in the house – which is our case as students. Begin by stopping accumulating things you don’t really need and getting rid of unnecessary things. You’ll be surprised to find some items in your home are just junk. It may also motivate you to be a more organized person in other areas of your life, like work, college and be mindful about the house too. Being an organized person gives you peace of mind and saves you time and money!
3. Always Respect Each Other
Don’t ever talk about others behind their backs either, especially sharing with other housemates.
Can you imagine, after a stressful day in college, coming back home to try to relax and all of sudden your roommate puts very loud music on? Don’t think anyone would be very happy with it. Try to always ask anyone for permission before doing anything you think can bother someone. This simple tip can be the first step in creating harmony in a student residence.
4. Create a Guest Rules
Sometimes, bringing people over all the time can get a bit too much, especially when more than one housemate decides to bring friends at the same time. Some of Your Roommate may Be studying for an exam and needs silence or another one had just a hard day and don’t want to see any visitors. It’s important to discuss with your housemates about it to find out the best solution for everyone in this case.
5. Pay Your Part of Communal Items
There is always someone who ends up being more responsible for households than others. I recommend using the Splittable app, It is the best way to track what everyone is spending in the house. You can also download another app called Venmo to pay for the household costs to your housemates.
6. Don’t Be Passive or Aggressive
Remember, communication is the key to solving any problem. Always be true to your housemate without being either aggressive or passive. Avoid text messages and emails. When you are likely to see the person every day, it is better to call them for an in-person conversation. It’s way more constructive to do it directly to them, as well as in a respectful manner. Ensure you have no harsh feelings in those moments to avoid conflicts, you can start by telling them you care about the house, using more “I” statements to express how you feel instead of placing blame on the other. By doing this, the person is more likely to listen to you and take your words and turn them into something positive.
Looking For Student Accommodation in Dublin? Click Here to Book Now!
Like any life situation has its ups and downs, sharing a house with other students is no longer different, there will be moments you will wish to run away and others you be glad to have people around you when living far away from home. It’s entirely up to you to ensure that there are more ups than downs. And respect is the name of the game to live in harmony in Student Residence!
There are infinite advantages of sharing a house with international students in Dublin or anywhere else on this planet. It’s more affordable, you’ll learn a lot about different cultures, have someone to practice your English to and make new friends.
But the most important thing is to have lots of fun and ensure you share unforgettable moments together during your study period in Dublin!
