Not every housemate is going to be like the Urinator. I once spent a couple of months sharing with a girl called Thuy. When it came to keeping things tidy, we were on the same page. We watched girly movies together and talked about guys on the odd night when we were both at home, but we also had separate social lives. Housemates but not best friends was the key to our functioning household.

You might prefer a different level of housemate interaction, which is fine as long as you find like-minded individuals. domain.com.au’s Sue Green suggests ‘[s]pend[ing] time choosing new flatemates – decide in advance the qualities you want and check they match these. Factors to consider: age and gender, smoking and drinking habits, hobbies and interests, amount of independence required, personal belongings brought into the household, attitudes to socialising…’ in her article ‘Avoiding flatmate hell’.

Of course, finding a suitable housemate is like finding a suitable life-partner. As per Charlotte Lucas, ‘Happiness…is entirely a matter of chance’ Continue reading →