How to Deal with Even the Most Difficult Roommate

When you sign a lease to a house or an apartment with your friends in college, you picture fun nights watching movies together, baking together, and just hanging out and having fun. But that’s not how it always turns out — sometimes living with someone turns into a real nightmare. Here’s some tips on how to deal with even the worst roommates.

Make a space for yourself

While this may seem difficult if the two of you share a room, the campus is huge. There are plenty of places where you can go to relax and have some alone time. A personal favorite is the UW Arboretum — it’s gorgeous all year round and there are never too many people, so it’s easy to relax and take time for yourself!

Approach any arguments in a calm manner

If your roommate is the argumentative type, the best way to approach these inevitable arguments is with a calm demeanor. While it may be hard to keep your cool, in the end, it will make your living situation much more bearable if you don’t have blow up arguments.

Sign a roommate agreement before moving in

Even if you’re BFFs with your roomies, things can always go awry. Before moving in, have all of your roommates sit down and agree to some baseline rules, such as how much each of you are going to pay for rent or everyone must approve a potential subletter. This way, everyone has the same expectations prior to living together, and everyone agrees to these expectations. You can find a template for an agreement here.

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