Usually it’s only in hindsight you recognise the signs that might have saved you from sharing a house with the previous person that was your household’s version of ‘that’ housemate, if only you had recognised them at the time and saved yourself a bunch of trouble. While you now have your own list to use next time you’re looking for a new housemate, consider adding the warning signs below to it.
They’re analysing the cost of running all the appliances – including the fridge
Some appliances do have a tendency to run up huge utility bills, but this is usually restricted to things along the line of space heaters, fans/air conditioners, tumble dryers and more than a couple of baths per person per week. While it is acceptable to be looking for ways to save energy to reduce the overall utilities cost, they shouldn’t be looking to ban people from using anything entirely.
Examples of acceptable requests:
- Keep the fridges and freezers optimality filled with food to reduce the amount of energy needed to keep them cold.
- Have the heating set on a timer so it stays on for a few hours each evening during the winter. Adjust timers as the weather changes or if the energy usage seems way too high.
- Air dry all clothing by default, only use the tumble dryer when absolutely necessary and not as a regular thing.
Examples of unacceptable requests:
- Freezer and/or fridge is to not be used (i.e. is kept off).
- Heating is to never go on, even if the Met Office is issuing weather warnings for ice, snow or a temperature drop in your area. (Note: Read any contracts or agreements you have with your landlord, most have a clause saying you will keep the property adequately heated, which of course this request would break)
- If hot water is provided to most/all taps by a hot water tank, this is to never be switched on. (i.e. no running hot water in the property)
If your potential housemate says “I don’t use appliance/utility X, so my bill will be cheaper right?”, that’s the ultimate signal to drop them from your housemate list then and there.
They’re already talking about bringing their friends or partner over
While you should expect that housemates will bring people over occasionally, if it’s the first thing they think of when a potential landlord is showing you around the property (“Wow, such a huge kitchen, it will be perfect for the house warming party and cooking when my friends/partner stay over“) it implies that they may be planning on having guests over quite frequently. You’ll have to decide for yourself on whether that would be acceptable or not.
They’re already telling you what the house rules are going to be
You’ve not even seen any official rental paperwork yet, but your potential housemate has already informed you that:
- They will be using the bathroom between 7:00am and 7:30am each morning, this is non-negotiable.
- You better not think about using anything belonging to them, even the toilet roll. But hey you buy nice cosmetics so you’ll let them use some of that right? No? How mean!
- You’re not allowed guests over unless you give 5 days notice, permission for which may be rejected for any reason, and the only acceptable guests you’re allowed are family members that stay for less than 2 hours, and no more than once a month. But they’re in a long distance relationship and their partner will be staying for a week every month.
Ok, the above examples are extreme, so if you hear anything along those lines definitely say “thanks, but no thanks” and start looking for other people to be your housemates. But the point is they shouldn’t be dictating any ‘rules’ about the houseshare to you. The rules should be mutually discussed and agreed between all the housemates before you start looking for a property.
