Share accommodation is an economical option when you leave care. “Sharing” means doing your share of the housework and paying your share of the bills. Sharing also means being considerate of your flatmates.
What am I up for?
Often before you move into a share house, your potential flatmates will want to interview you. This is an informal interview and is a chance for you to suss out the people and check out the house.
When you do move into an existing share house you will have to come up with your share of the bond – usually 4 weeks rent plus 2 weeks rent in advance.
Before you move in, know how much money you are up for. The best idea is to pay rent to the real estate agent directly. That way you know where your money is going – rather than handing it over to a flatmate who may forget to pay.
Tips on living with people
• Don’t borrow your flatmate’s stuff without asking
• Try and share a meal together at least once a week.
• Shop together and split the food bill if you can.
• Respect your flatmate’s privacy.
• Do your share of the jobs.
• If your flatmate is not doing his or her share, ask them why not.
Household Meetings
Regular household meetings allow you to discuss issues about the general running of the house. At this meeting, all bills can be discussed and general and regular payments can be handed to the person who will be responsible for paying the bill. This is also a good time to work out a shopping list for food and cleaning items.
This meeting can also be used to discuss housework. Keep in mind some people may prefer certain tasks or may be better at certain tasks.
A House Calendar
A house calendar can be used to mark down when bills are due and whose turn it is to do housework, as well as to book in social activities.
Make sure everyone contributes to the meeting, that way no one can say they did not have a say towards the running of the house.
Housework
Mess around the place can make you feel ‘down in the dumps’, and can make things hard to find (like bills and the remote control). But if you can get into the habit of doing small tasks (like the vacuuming) before they feel like big tasks, doing the housework won’t seem stressful or overwhelming.
If you are sharing a house, it is a good idea to sit down with your other housemates and work out a roster that suits you all, for things that need doing around the house.
How to find a flatmate
There are many ways to find a flatmate. If you are looking for a place to live, tell everyone that you know – especially those you get along with. You never know your luck. They may be looking for a place too or they may know someone who is looking. A personal recommendation is a head start.
In the meantime, look in the Share Accommodation section of newspapers and the links online. Also keep your eye out for community and university noticeboards.
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