Having a roommate is practical. Cost- efficient. And often a very fun way of living. But besides giving unique experiences – and often friends for a lifetime – living with a roommate can have its downsides. And yes, it may happen that at times you may even hate your roommate. We already talked about how to find a roommate. And now that you have, the basic thing is to set rules at the very start. But what if you want to share a place with your best friend? And how many people in one apartment are too many? If you are still indecisive about living with someone, this text can help. We’ll list all the pros and cons of having a roommate and sharing a flat – and with this, your life.

Here are the pros and cons of having a roommate

Con – No me time

It is possible that the person you are sharing a space with has a nasty habit of wanting to, well just talk. Or ask too many questions in times when you don’t really feel like it. Still, sometime you’ll just need to suck it in and put a smile on your face just to be in a good relationship with someone.

When you share a place together with someone, there will hardly be any time just for you. This is especially difficult when you have a smaller apartment or you live in a dorm. Everybody needs to be alone sometimes and having someone around all the time after a hard day can be difficult. With this, how can concentrate on your studying when you have someone around? Especially if this person is on the phone, is listening to music – or is just simply interesting and it’s fun to be around with.

Pro – Sharing expenses

Maybe you hate to admit it, but sharing expenses are surely one of the best things of having a roommate. And here’s how to survive Florida on a tight budget. However, we already stated that you need a certain set of rules, and this applies to finances in the first place. When it comes to money, many roommate relationships can be tricky – especially if you’re friends. By setting rules and joint costs, you will learn to calculate all your expenses beforehand. You and the other person come from different families and different things are important to you. This means that you will maybe like to spend more time on cleaning products and you’re roommate thinks that you can do without that special curtain stain-free conditioner. Set a joint cashier and talk about what to spend on. Living on a budget in Florida is possible. And your life will be so much easier.

Con – Quirks

There’s a great chance that your roommate will have some quirks that will drive you mad. These can be anything from borrowing your food, not taking out the trash – or just being around you. You and the other person are not the same, so maybe you won’t even go to sleep at the same time… And the other person may have a difficult time when going to sleep. This can culminate with someone’s watching TV, working late on a computer or just leaving the lights on. We all have these days when we just want to be alone, but with having a roommate you may not be in the position to afford this luxury.

Pro – You’ll share experiences

Sharing something in common in an unknown environment applies especially if you’re moving out of your city or a country. If you share a place with someone from your hometown, it will be easier to adopt in the unknown environment. In this way, you will make friends easier and won’t be as lonely as you would be. You will also have someone to talk to about all the new things that you experience throughout the day. The other thing is, you can share experiences you would normally do on your own, like watching TV series and cooking. This can help you feel less stressed and have a positive impact on your mood.

Con – sharing a bathroom

Sharing a bathroom is certainly one of the most common reasons for roommate fights. If you can think of some kind of schedule for a bathroom, this would be great… But is not really possible. Sometimes you will just have to wait for the other person to finish what they have in order for you to have your bathroom time. Also, roommates who never clean the bathroom after themselves can be very irritating. And this is a topic you have to discuss. Who is cleaning what and at what time – for this, there has to be a schedule. Hygiene is very important, especially when it comes to the bathroom area. You don’t have to worry if your roommate’s room is in perfect order, but you have to agree to keep the common grounds clean. Same applies when it comes to buying sanitary products like toilet paper and soap. This is surely one of the trickiest questions when it comes to the pros and cons of having a roommate.

Pro – Support 24/7

Roommates and friends often give good advice. And roommates who are friends give the best advice ever! So maybe if you live with someone you already know, that will eliminate all the awkward situations of living with a complete stranger. But you don’t have to be best friends with someone just so you can get along. It’s enough that person is there. And, of course, have enough understanding to know that you are a human being too. If you are in a stressful situation or have relationship issues or trouble at work – you can always go to your roommate. This will probably be the best thing about living with someone. You will find it easier to open up to someone you share your space with. Just the ability to talk to someone right away can help you get through some of the toughest situations in life. And by keeping each other’s back you build trust.

All in all, having a roommate means redefining the term personal space. And with some things, you just have to learn to live with. Now that you learned all the pros and cons of having a roommate, we hope you will manage to be a better roommate yourself. Good luck!