TOP TIPS WHEN CHOOSING HOUSEMATES

By Student Cribs | July 3, 2023 | Reading Time: 6 minutes

So the time has come to start looking for a house to live in next year. Freshers was a blast and you’ve met some great people. You’d probably be surprised at how fast the time comes around to start looking for your student house for your next year of uni. You may think you’ve just got here! You’re still finding your feet and settling in, but now it’s time to choose which people you’ll be living with for the next year of your life. Now, this is an important decision. The people you meet in your first week who you think will be your best friends might end up being strangers by the time you finish first term! So think carefully, don’t rush and here are the top tips when choosing your housemates…

friends looking out at view

1. Mess, mess, mess

This one is pretty simple – if you like things relatively neat and tidy, then don’t live with the person that leaves all their dirty pots and pans around the kitchen! Everyone knows student houses can get messy…really messy. So if you after a clean house, clean mind, then avoid the people who forget their clothes in the washing machine for days or leaves their stuff all over the living room. You don’t want to spend the next year of your life cleaning up after them!

messy kitchen

2. Mix it up!

This seems like a strange thing to say as your first instinct is probably to team up with your best friend or even people you know from home. But Uni is about meeting new people, becoming best friends with people from opposite ends of the country so you have lots of places to visit once Uni is over! You don’t want to stick to only what you know and regret not stepping outside your comfort zone and widening your social circle. It might be the easy route to pick housemates you already know, but why not try mixing it up, you could meet your new best mates for life by doing so!

3. Definitely don’t live with your significant other 

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this going well. It’s just a bad idea. Don’t do it. Even if you think you’ve found ‘the one’, they might end up not being that and then you’re stuck living out a 52 week tenancy with them. Avoid at all costs.

couple holding hands

4. Don’t get upset if someone wants to live with other people

This is bound to happen. It’s not always possible to live with every single person you want to, you’re student housing market might not accommodate 10 bedroom houses. If you do happen to have a very large group, the best thing to do is to split up into two smaller groups and look for neighbouring houses. It’s inevitable that some people might end up being left out, but don’t take it personally! Just because you’re not living with them, doesn’t mean you won’t be just as close. You never know, you might even end up making more friends!

5. Be aware of friends of friends as housemates

So one of your friends knows someone who doesn’t have anywhere to live but they’re really nice so could they live with you guys? Now, I know the easiest response it to just say yes – but wait! Think about it first. Maybe meet this person or try to get to know them before agreeing to anything as you all you need is to end up sharing a house with someone you just don’t get on with.

6. Don’t panic

No matter what, you will always reach a resolution and find someone to live with. Please don’t panic – the whole prospect of choosing housemates, finding a house you love and securing a tenancy can be stressful and confusing. The best advise is not to rush into anything or panic! Yes be organised but don’t make any rash decisions, things have a tendency to sort themselves out!

friends studying

And there we are! These are our top tips for choosing housemates at University! Make sure you remember the last tip – it’ll probably be the most needed!

Student Accommodation:

Once you’ve applied all these top tips when choosing housemates, you can move on to choosing your new home! Student Cribs have fully furnished, interior designed flats and houses for you to live in! And the best part: Bills included and no deposits!