After two years working in Real Estate I have heard a lot of bad housemate stories. Many tenants have had to leave houses due to messiness, inconsiderate noise, not paying rent on time and privacy issues. Apart from the odd unreasonable freak many of these household issues can be sorted out with a bit of ‘living’ preparation. Sit down and think about what is really important to you at home. Do you enjoy things being clean or would you rather live life and worry about the mess later? Discuss these things with your housemates at the beginning of the lease so everyone is very clear on everyone else’s expectations. Pin up these expectations somewhere communal so all housemates and their guests are reminded regularly. I have outlined some of the things I think are important to include.
Consider Other People and Their Belongings
§ Keep other housemate current with major life changes such as change of jobs, university courses, selling a car etc. as this may impact the whole house
§ When making decisions on or changing shared spaces such as where couches and TV’s are, or financial things such as internet you must consult with others and agree
§ Always ask to borrow clothes and personal items in person or via txt message
Guests are to be Respectful of Everyone
§ Guests are to be attended to by their host who is responsible for the guests behaviour
§ When returning home check if housemates are sleeping. If so, act quietly & SMS if anyone is staying over
§ Only people known/introduced to all housemates are allowed to stay over night
§ Guests may eat shared household and hosts personal food in moderation
§ If more then 5-6 people including host come over for a long period of time, a days notice to all housemates is required
§ If guests stay more then 3 - 4 nights a fortnight proportional contribution to household expenses is payable as agreed by housemates
Keep House and Housemates Safe at All Times
§ Locked and deadlocked front door when leaving the house empty
§ Front door is to be snipped locked so you can leave easy in case of emergency while people are sleeping
§ No spare keys are to be handed out to guests or hidden outside unless agreed to by all housemates
§ Do not discuss with others if the house is vacant or when a housemate is home alone for periods of time
All Bills to be Paid on Time
§ Rent paid weekly to main tenant
§ Water and Electricity and Gas to be paid quarterly by main tenant and reimbursed by each tenant pro-rata, according to period since commencement of lease
§ Use of utilities are to be used in reasonable amounts i.e. heaters, water, lights turned off when not in use
§ Gardening, shopping, shared household expenses to be recorded on household calendar and reimbursed monthly so each housemate has paid their share.
Household cleaning tasks to be shared among housemates
To be done fortnightly
Bathroom - Shower, Toilet, Sink, Floors
Vacuuming - All shared areas, and quickly in each bedroom
Outside – Watering, Mow lawns, Recycle bin out/in
Dusting - Surfaces, spider webs, books shelves
Moping – Tiled areas
To be done weekly
Outside – Garbage bin out/in
Lounge - Tidy and put personal items away when finished
Office - Tidy and put personal items away regularly
Kitchen
- Clean all dishes left in and around sink
- Stack dishwasher as you go and turn on when full
- Keep bench and table clear and clean each night
