By Lizzie Akass
Flatmates can be kind sometimes, but they can also be a bit of a nuisance! Here’s the top five of each…
Top 5 kind gestures from flatmates
- Looking after people when they’re sick
Everyone gets sick at some point when they’re at uni (ahem, fresher’s flu), and it always seems to happen when you have nothing to treat yourself with, so running down the road to the shops in the wind and the rain when you’re ill is just the worst. Therefore, if a flatmate knocks on your door with a lemon and honey drink, lemsip, or pain killers, you will absolutely adore them forever.
- Cleaning and washing up without being asked
You may think this sounds obvious, but if your flatmates or housemates always keep their own space tidy, never leaves washing out for days on end, and helps to keep your communal areas clean and tidy without being nagged, then they are amazing people to live with. Bonus points if every once in a while, someone does everyone’s washing up as a surprise kind gesture. The same also goes for taking the bins out, it’s a job everyone hates, but if the people you live with just get on with it and take it in turns, no fuss, it makes the year much smoother.
- Being the flat organiser
This is especially true if you’re still living in halls. Living with someone who always knows the upcoming events is amazingly useful, and if you are a fresher, having someone who can show you how everything works and to give you advice about uni is so helpful. If they organise days out, or meals out to help break the ice and make everyone more comfortable with each other, this can really benefit everyone in the long run.
- Keeping noise levels low
This is especially true coming up to deadlines, if your neighbours know that you’re up until all hours revising or writing essays, keeping their music volume low and not slamming doors or playing corridor hockey is a big help!
- Hosting film nights
This is a personal favourite, so if you do this already, give yourself a pat on the back. Anyone who brings a TV with them to uni, and then willingly has the entire flat over to watch a film, squished on their bed eating food and making a huge mess, they are an amazing person to live with. Bonus points if this is a regular occurrence.
Top 5 bad flatmate habits
- Being the messy one
Their area of the kitchen is a mess, the sink is overflowing with their washing up (which has been there for days), they’re the reason you’ve failed the kitchen inspection, twice, so nothing is being cleaned. The floor is covered with food and drink they’ve spilled when they’ve been drunk and have no intention of tidying. You nag them to clean up after themselves but it makes no difference. We all know one, don’t be that person. If you don’t know one, maybe it’s you!
- Being the lazy one
Similar to number one, except it also brings in never taking out the bins or helping to keep communal areas tidy.
3. Being the loud one
It’s 3am. You’ve got an exam tomorrow. They finished their exams yesterday so they’ve been out partying all night and now come crashing into the flat, slamming doors and yelling and blasting out music with all of their friends. On a less extreme note, general slamming doors and blasting out music/movies/video games/football (often accompanied with yelling if it’s the latter) for hours on end, with their door open so the whole flat can hear. Corridor hockey at night is another one when people are revising/writing essays. Don’t be this person.
- Being the drama King/Queen
All anybody really wants is to live with nice, normal, no drama people. Don’t be the person who makes mountains out of mole hills and looks for dramas and arguments everywhere they can. This also counts for gossiping, the rest of the world doesn’t really care who said what behind people’s backs, and who slept with who.
- Being the lush
Everyone loves going out and partying with their flatmates, it’s fun, it brings you closer, it gives you funny stories – and everyone has had to be rescued once or twice when they’ve accidentally gotten far too drunk, we’re only human. But if your flatmates are having to walk you home, clean you up, and put you to bed every single time you go out together, it stops being fun. Don’t be the one who needs to be rescued every single week.
