[Redway]

Especially when you don’t particularly like/know/vibe with the other people who happen to share a space with you.

Treating the kitchen like a family home (by not only cooking and eating but staying there to chill, snort lines/party and do projects as if the other residents mightn’t want to just slip in to pattern their meals and slip out without being cornered into an awkward small-talk corner with random faces and having them following you around the kitchen asking what you’re cooking - unless I’m blatantly cool with/enabling that kind of curiosity, I don’t want to take the time and energy to explain what it is I’m cooking or talk to people I wouldn’t actually initiate any form of sustained interaction with on my own terms).

That and people who disturb the serenity/silence and carry on day-and-night.

I did used to have a lot more tolerance for these things when I was much younger (fresher days) because the people I were living with at that point in my life were a lot more compatible with me and being out in those situations no matter how much you’d naturally want to keep to yourself (or not) is an invaluable experience any 19-year-old needs so it wasn’t like I minded sharing space with four or five other people. But at this age and point in my life I like to play the role of the individualistic people-watcher (in nichely-lay terms) so I’m going to need something of an actual good reason or personal connection to make allowances for random people I don’t know from a can of Peak milk filling the air with empty white noise just for the sake of ecstatic, boundary-and-appropriety-oblivious gregariousness and getting in the way of whatever it is I might be wanting to do around the place (cooking, cleaning or whatever).

I feel like after a certain point in your early 20s it’s a lot to ask for (unless you’re that right with them), especially if you’re quite the social introvert and value that solitude and serenity. It’s just what people with more boujee taste have to make do with and tolerate until they can afford a studio flat but either way coming home after a long day (or just being that heads-on, mature guy/chick who happens to work/study from home in relative serenity) coming home to a group of overgrown 30-year-olds treating the kitchen like a perpetual audition-ground for “most A.D.H.D.-riddled, over-gregarious school mandem” gets pretty jarring after a while. Especially when they don’t even bother to clean up after themselves (another point).

[user104658]

I enjoyed it at University but my housemates were friends and none of us were throwing raging parties, it was a pretty chill house. Other than the occasional over the top prank.

I wouldn’t ever have lived with people I don’t know or get on with well, in all honesty.

[Niamh.]

I lived in a house share in a couple of different places when i lived in London years ago. One was great it was just the landlord who was a lovely Malaysian man and a Scottish woman. Before that it was a big old house in Wood green, it was a dump and the landlord who also lived there was a horrible man, he's was in English guy in his 50's, always saying horrible stuff to people and sitting around the house eating cheese and drinking gin & tonics with this German girl who also lived there, I hated that place and him

[Redway]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I enjoyed it at University but my housemates were friends and none of us were throwing raging parties, it was a pretty chill house. Other than the occasional over the top prank.

I wouldn’t ever have lived with people I don’t know or get on with well, in all honesty.

I mostly enjoyed my flatmates at university (especially in first-year) as well. Like I said I was far from the most outgoing student (and I’m still pretty far-removed from anything like that persona) but the people I lived with were tight and like I said every 19-year-old could do with being put in situations/communal spaces with people of all different types and backgrounds. That’s the fun of being an 18/19-year-old.

After your early 20s not so much (unless you really know and like the people). You’ll turn into an avoidant crank soon enough if you’re forced to live with people you’re really not compatible with as a 26-or-38-year-old and you have completely different wants, needs and ideas of personal space.

[Oliver_W]

I've never felt the need for such an arrangement - I commuted to uni, moved into my place a couple of years ago.

Spoiler:

BUT I need to do a "privilege check" here -. My grandparents are landlords with quite a portfolio, which they're selling off to the descendants at the prices they bought them at in the 80s-90s, which is ridiculously lucky for my branch of the tree in general

Spoiler:

and me specifically, as due to illness and long term problems I don't know when I can go back to work properly

[ThomasC]

I've stayed in hostel dorms with 12 other people, biggest thing was being able to have space, just to be on your own for 5 minutes. Can't really think of a particular pet peeve as such, we all got along, new people would arrive daily and everyone was friendly enough.

When I got a job I moved into a house and rented a room. I didn't interact with my other housemates, it was just awkward and whenever they were downstairs I would stay in my room. Not that they weren't nice, but just not my people.

I went fruit picking with this french lad, happened to also be called Thomas, and we ended up staying together for a few months and I would drive us to the farms, we had nowhere to stay originally so slept in my car under bridges, car parks, on streets etc until we went to stay with this lady and lived in a teepee in her garden. He drove me insane though!!! 10 minutes to make a sandwich wrapping it meticulously in cling film then tin foil on the morning we had to be out on the road at the crack of dawn. It took him ages to do anything, I wanted to strangle the fecker. He was unbelievably frugle. I had an issue with my car one day so I asked him if he would mind paying half to get it fixed but he didn't want to as it wasn't his car even though if it wasn't for my car and my driving he'd have no money anyway as I was the one driving us to farms to pick fruit!!! I lost it with him one day over some hovering that he did (we moved from the teepee into this lady's house eventually) as he wasn't doing it very well, lol. I think I was just annoyed with him overall as he was such a faff.

Then there was this Chinese guy I lived with for a bit, omg, I had to hold back my annoyance anytime he ate as he would slap his mouth ridiculously.

There's a few I can think of so far. Lol

Edit; here he is, this was the day I dropped him off at the airport.

I did miss him, I mean we spent 3 months or so together but yeah he annoyed me at times

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by ThomasC

I've stayed in hostel dorms with 12 other people, biggest thing was being able to have space, just to be on your own for 5 minutes. Can't really think of a particular pet peeve as such, we all got along, new people would arrive daily and everyone was friendly enough.

When I got a job I moved into a house and rented a room. I didn't interact with my other housemates, it was just awkward and whenever they were downstairs I would stay in my room. Not that they weren't nice, but just not my people.

I went fruit picking with this french lad, happened to also be called Thomas, and we ended up staying together for a few months and I would drive us to the farms, we had nowhere to stay originally so slept in my car under bridges, car parks, on streets etc until we went to stay with this lady and lived in a teepee in her garden. He drove me insane though!!! 10 minutes to make a sandwich wrapping it meticulously in cling film then tin foil on the morning we had to be out on the road at the crack of dawn. It took him ages to do anything, I wanted to strangle the fecker. He was unbelievably frugle. I had an issue with my car one day so I asked him if he would mind paying half to get it fixed but he didn't want to as it wasn't his car even though if it wasn't for my car and my driving he'd have no money anyway as I was the one driving us to farms to pick fruit!!! I lost it with him one day over some hovering that he did (we moved from the teepee into this lady's house eventually) as he wasn't doing it very well, lol. I think I was just annoyed with him overall as he was such a faff.

Then there was this Chinese guy I lived with for a bit, omg, I had to hold back my annoyance anytime he ate as he would slap his mouth ridiculously.

There's a few I can think of so far. Lol

Edit; here he is, this was the day I dropped him off at the airport.

I did miss him, I mean we spent 3 months or so together but yeah he annoyed me at times

What a cheek, you should have kicked him out and left him to walk

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by MTVN

What a cheek, you should have kicked him out and left him to walk

Ikr, he said that he thought it was fair because he was paying me petrol money. Just said that it's my car. I wouldn't have minded had he contributed just a little bit. If hat was me I would have offered. I felt bad enough having to ask him. I can't even remember what was wrong with the car now. My exhaust fell off one day, but I don't think I was with him then.....ummmm, or actually it might have been that.

Even if we did a bit of shopping and I owed him money or visa versa he'd want the exact money, I'd just round it to the dollar.

[UserSince2005]

When you just know your roommates have been douching with the shower head :sick:

[Cherie]

I think you need to find a rental with just one other person Redway, sounds a nightmare

[Cherie]

When I came to the UK I houseshared with someone who used to leave an orange ring around the bath, not fake tan

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by UserSince2005

When you just know your roommates have been douching with the shower head :sick:

Originally Posted by Cherie

When I came to the UK I houseshared with someone who used to leave an orange ring around the bath, not fake tan

They defecate in the bath. How lovely

[Redway]

Originally Posted by Cherie

I think you need to find a rental with just one other person Redway, sounds a nightmare

They’ve actually calmed down lately but you’re right. I actually do.