Most Common Arguments You’ll Have With Uni Housemates
Grumpy, messy, noisy… no, it’s not the seven dwarves, it’s your new uni housemates
It’s a strange Big Brother-esque concept, throwing together a group of students and hoping they’ll all magically become best friends. So it’s no surprise that our recent Student Beans 2024 Freshers Report discovered that 52.9% of you are anxious about sharing a flat with strangers when you move to uni.
Moving from the comfort of your parents home can be an adjustment, especially when your new reality looks like washing up stalemates, organising your student bills and doing your own washing?! (psst… we’ve got a whole guide on how to use a washing machine, because, y’know, adulting)
And that’s before considering WHO you’re actually going to share your space with. The good news is that many of you will find friends for life at uni. The bad news? You might also live with people who have VERY different ideas of cleanliness to you. So we ran a survey to find out what some of the most common arguments you’ll have with your housemates are.
In this article:
Most common problems with housemates
You’ll be relieved to know that almost half of students surveyed (48.66%) said they hadn’t had any issues with arguments or problems with housemates, but that left the remaining half with the problems they wanted to share! Let’s take a look.
Washing up
So with 24.89% of the votes, washing up comes in as the most common complaint with housemates. If you know, you know.
We’re pretty sure that it’s a universally shared experience to have at least one housemate who never washes their dishes, one who ‘goes on strike’, and one who does it on the sly to keep the peace.
Our advice? Cleaning rotas are BORING but sometimes a complete necessity. Stick a rota up on the fridge – preferably one you’ve all agreed on, we’re a democracy after all. Most people will want to help keep the peace. If you do have a chaotic housemate that just DGAF, then just ignore their washing up and only do what you need to do.
Emptying the bins
Coming in hot at number two, 21.78% of you said that emptying the bins is one of your most common arguments between housemates. I mean, it’s not a job anyone really enjoys doing, especially in summer… ergh. This is one chore you really don’t want to go on strike over – I’ll just say one word… maggots.
When you move in, try and establish how the recycling works for where you live and make sure the rubbish is separated. That way if it ends up falling to one person to empty the bins, at least they won’t have to sift through and sort it when there’s mouldy bread in the cardboard box. Just not cool.
Noisy housemates
So 19.38% of you said that your noisy housemates were the main arguing point in your house or halls. Some houses are known as the ‘party house’ – but if you’re the odd one out and your housemates love rocking up at 4am, it can be a bit of a downer.
Sometimes a simple knock on the door to ask your housemates to keep it down can do the trick. But if you’re not keen on doing this (or the message isn’t sinking in) then a pair of noise-cancelling headphones could also help drown them out in the early hours.
Housemates stealing your food
Number four on our list is when your housemates steal your food. SO RUDE. Especially because have you seen the cost of cheese these days?!
Instead of trying to steal their food back (because let’s face it, if they’re stealing yours, chances are they haven’t got anything worth eating), have a quiet word with them about it. It might have been an accident, or simply a mix-up, so avoiding conflict is always the best way forward.
If that doesn’t work, announcing that your food is missing loudly while searching the refrigerator works too. Sorry, not sorry.
Girlfriends / boyfriends staying over
Lowest on the list, only bothering around 5% of you is girlfriends and boyfriends overstaying their welcome. While most of you welcome your friends’ partners with open arms, we totally get that some of you are not so keen. For a start, more people in the house = more expensive bills. And let’s not even get started on the awkwardness of hearing your loved up flatmates going at it all night.
As with most of these, a quiet word should probably do the trick (and avoid ultimate embarrassment too).
Other common arguments
Shocking absolutely no-one in this day and age, bills and money got an honourable mention outside of the main arguments with housemates. It can be pretty overwhelming sorting out bills when you live on your own, let alone trying to organise a whole house-load of students. Before you head to uni, check out our guide on managing household bills, which could save you a lot of stress and drama when settling into your new digs.
General untidiness is also mentioned, which goes hand in hand with emptying the bins and the washing up. It can be an adjustment getting used to a different way of life, so don’t worry if you don’t all mesh perfectly on day one. Getting to know people can also take time. If you really feel like you’re not gelling with your housemates, then don’t worry, there’s so many different ways to make friends at uni.
One student in our Freshers Report agreed: “I didn’t really click with my flatmates. I felt like there was so much pressure to be really close with them straight away. But fast forward to week 3, and that’s where I met people in a journalism society. Meeting them made such a difference. Don’t feel like you have to force it, just because you live with people!”
If you’re a bit nervous about starting university, then our freshers guide will guide you every step of the way, from choosing where to study, preparing to move away and living your best uni life.
Methodology:
Student Beans surveyed 1,414 students to find out what common arguments they had within their student houses.
