New research has revealed the most irritating house-share habits, including failing to clean up after cooking, having a filthy bathroom, and leaving dirty dishes in the sink for days. A survey of 2,000 adults who have lived in shared accommodation over the past decade found that 95% believed getting along with housemates was crucial. Yet despite this, 84% confessed that living with others isn't always straightforward.
Top Gripes and Disputes
Making excessive noise during the night (24%), shirking household duties (22%), and failing to settle bills promptly (18%) also ranked among the most frustrating behaviours. Regular disputes erupted over hygiene (25%) and cleaning responsibilities (20%).
Comedian and writer Fern Brady said: "I know from experience that living in flat-shares is not always simple. I've seen it all in over 20 rented homes – good, bad and ugly."
Money and Bills Take Centre Stage
Disputes surrounding money and bills (32%) emerged as the issue that people in shared accommodation took most seriously. The OnePoll research found that 53% had lived with someone who failed to contribute their fair share financially. Meanwhile, 31% frequently needed to address financial disagreements with housemates, while 28% routinely had to remind them to settle bills on time.
"Arguments about money and bills can really get under people's skin, but it doesn't have to be that way," Brady said, before adding that a smart meter can be a good way to keep track of how much money is being spent, "renters can feel more in control of their energy use."
Smart Meters as a Solution
As many as 78% said having a way to track how much energy they were using in their shared home would have helped reduce the number of arguments over bills. But 84% of those who have had a smart meter in their shared space said it was useful for monitoring their energy costs.
Victoria Bacon, a director at Smart Energy GB, added: "Smart meters take the guesswork out of energy bills by giving households a clearer picture of their usage and they can help housemates stay on top of bills. If you rent privately and the bills are in your name, it's your choice to request a smart meter from your energy supplier."
The top 20 house-share icks include not cleaning up after cooking, leaving the bathroom dirty, leaving dirty dishes in the sink for days, leaving rubbish bins overflowing, being noisy late at night, not contributing to household chores, not washing up properly, not paying their share of the bills on time, playing music or TV too loudly, borrowing items without asking, leaving food to go off, slamming doors, leaving lights on unnecessarily, never replacing empty toilet roll, having guests over too often, turning the heating on or off without asking others, never replacing household essentials, not locking doors or windows at night or when leaving the house, leaving laundry in shared spaces, and taking excessively long showers.
