6 Qualities of a Good Roommate

September 11, 2020

Sharing a home with roommates is a big part of being a PadSplit member because it helps us keep costs low for you. But, we know living with others isn’t always easy. Everyone has unique ideas and beliefs when it comes to their environment. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to help adjust and build relationships with your roommates.

Whether you’re new to PadSplit or looking for ways to improve relationships with PadMates, we’ve got you covered. Below are six qualities of a good roommate. Use them as a guide to find areas you can work on to build better, stronger relationships.

How to be a Good Roommate

Communication

Effective communication is the key to making relationships work, including the one between roommates. A good roommate is an effective communicator. An effective communicator takes the time to think before they speak. Then, they clearly share their thoughts or point-of-view without judgement.

Considerate

Just as a good communicator is thoughtful with words, a considerate person is thoughtful with their actions. Sharing a living space with others means that your actions impact your roommates. Be mindful of their time, space, and needs and how your actions might affect them. For example, let’s say your roommate works the night shift and takes a nap during the afternoon. You get home from work and need to do laundry but they’re sleeping. As a considerate roommate, you don’t want to disturb them, so you wait to do laundry until they wake up.

Respectful

‍When you’re respectful, it means you care about the feelings and rights of your roommates. You can respect someone without having to be their best friend. A good roommate may show their respect for roommates by being quiet when they’re sleeping, leaving common areas clean, smoking in designated areas, and following house rules.

Cooperative

‍Cooperative roommates are willing to compromise and work towards a shared goal. Being cooperative can help prevent issues but it can else help resolve them when they do arise. Cooperation between roommates can be working together to create and follow house rules. It can be sitting down to find common ground when problems come up.

Cleanliness

‍Everyone has a different level of cleanliness they feel is acceptable for their environment. Talk to your roommates to understand what kind of messes bother them. Then, do your best to avoid them and keep common areas clean. For example, let’s say one of your roommates doesn’t like when dishes are left in the sink. The other can’t stand when towels are left on the floor in the bathroom. Do your best to wash your dishes and hang up your towel when you’re done using them.

Responsible

‍Responsibility goes a long way in building trust with your roommates. A responsible roommate pays their rent on time, cleans up after themselves, makes sure doors are locked, and generally looks out for the safety and security of the home.

Sharing a house with someone isn’t always easy. Fortunately, most problems between PadMates can be fixed through communication, listening, and compromise. Use the PadMate Member Messenger app to communicate with your PadMates if you have different schedules.

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