An interesting story made its way across our desk a little while ago, and it got us thinking. Am I one of those professionals others like to live with?
In Australia, it seems that people want to share a house with a chef rather than a lawyer. Â This might have something to do with the fact that chefs are never home in normal hours, and they always have something interesting in the fridge. Chefs totally rule the popularity contest in shared houses.
Who else makes a great house mate? Â According to realestate.com.au chefs rule the roost, with nurses and tradies as the next best options.
Doctors aren’t that bad, and are slightly more popular than students and lawyers. I guess they can offer some free advice when you are feeling a bit second hand.
Who should you have as a flatmate? A best mate? An opposite? Someone who is a bit OCD with the cleaning and general appearance of your shared space or just someone who can tell the difference between the sink and the bath, and may like the same music as you?
We got some Mum and Dad advice about your first shared experience and what you might want to look for in finding a flat, or a flatmate.
- Be aware that the space isn’t just yours – be as tidy as you can, keep the sexcapades to the bedroom and wash up.
- Make sure that you discuss money straight up. This is the biggest issue in shared houses. Either someone uses all the loo paper, has a fetish for the condiments in the fridge, or is never around when the energy bills come in.
- Manage the bills – know which bills are in which name and set up a direct debit to that persons account to pay them. Â That way you can’t forget.
- Set up a roster for cleaning. Each of you should do a specific job each week so one person doesn’t get stuck with the bathroom, or the kitchen or the vacuuming.
- Be careful when you move  in with mates. They might be awesome to hang out with but do you know enough about them to live with them?
- Create your own space to be somewhere you can retreat to – putting your styling tips in the common areas may be difficult but your room is your space.. make it yours.
- Set some collective rules about the food. Have a separate cupboard or fridge space if your diet is different or you like to eat a certain way.  Keep a small collective kitty for the basics like toilet paper, cleaning products and tea/coffee
- Have some house rules. Share your issues verbally rather than by note or text message.
Its all about courtesy and common sense. Â Make sure you use some .
