Students moving internationally are often required to live in accommodation with a few other people in order to save money, and while this can lead to some great friendships and interesting interactions, it can also be a tough circumstance to navigate every now. This is because people aren’t going to see eye to eye in every situation, but there are opportunities that can help you better manage these challenges and get on better with housemates. In this article, we provide a few great tips to help get you on the way to better and more consistent relationships with your housemates.

Understand the people you’re living with

If you’ve recently moved into student apartments in Sydney and are overwhelmed with the prospect of juggling other peoples needs along with your own, there’s a good chance you’re not the only one in this boat. The best way to improve your relationships with the people you live with from the outset is to practice better communication skills. Open and honest communication allows you to quickly understand what people do and don’t like when living in a house, and from there you can set boundaries accordingly. If you happen to step on someone’s toes, apologise and let them know that you’ll behave differently in the future, and you should do this in turn if someone is to upset you. just think – in a space where no one tells each other their likes and dislikes, there are going to be a lot of problems a lot of the time. It can be a bit awkward doing this out of the blue, so one of the best ways to do this naturally is by hanging out with your housemates and really getting to know them. Do some fun activities together and it won’t be long at all before you have a much deeper understanding of what they’re all about

Organise house routines wherever possible

Things not getting done around the house can quickly cause passive-aggressive passes and discontent, so to prevent this aggression from bubbling away behind the scenes it’s never a bad idea to create a roster of cleaning duties. Although this won’t necessarily be a fun task, diving up cleaning tasks can ensure that your house always remains sparkling clean and everyone will be accountable for whatever job they’re assigned to. And if someone can’t do a job for whatever reason, because they know it’s their responsibility, they can inform other housemates with proper notice and other arrangements can be made. Similarly, tracking house expenses is another way to ensure that everyone is contributing an equal amount to the shared items around the house. Using money splitting apps makes this very easy, but if you want something a bit simpler you can also have a rotating list of things that need to be bought, as with the household chores.

Give everyone some space

Getting to know your housemates is great, but knowing when to give them their space can be just as important. Alone time can be just as positive for your mental health as social time, so working out your housemates’ schedules – and letting them know yours – can help you plan for this important need. With all these things in mind, your house should be a lovely, harmonious place to be!