Houses are expensive, of course—at least, that’s what we assume. Some of us save our money to put a deposit down on one. Meanwhile, we might rent a space that we like more than our current home, or we might choose to temporarily move into a new place while traveling or while going to school.
1. Pull Your Own Weight
The cool thing about houses is that they have a lot of space. Even if you can’t afford to buy a home, you might get lucky enough to live in a house that has a room you can rent out at a good price, or maybe you can move into a place that isn’t quite big enough for the family who currently lives there. The important thing is that you’re contributing your own money and your own labor to the place where you live.
If you’re staying in a friend or family member’s home, you can still do household chores to help out. In this case, you don’t necessarily need to pay rent, but you can still contribute to the upkeep of the place. Just make sure you’re donating your fair share of the work.
2. Don’t Be a Slob
If you’re renting a room or apartment, when you move in, you may notice that it’s not quite as clean as it was when you first saw it. Maybe the previous tenant smoked. Maybe the previous tenant had a couple of kids. Maybe the previous tenant just wasn’t that great at keeping things tidy.
Whatever the reason, the new occupant should do their fair share of cleaning and fixing things that need fixing. That’s the idea behind pulling your own weight. If you’re living in the space, you need to take care of it.
3. Stay Away from Your Housemates’ Food
Housemates don’t always like it when you eat their food. You might think it’s fair since they’re not paying rent, but that approach will not endear you to your housemates.
A housemate will try to claim that you ate his food, even if you didn’t, just because it’s easier for him to make that accusation than for him to ask for his food back. If you want to avoid all that drama, try to stick to eating your own food.
4. Report Maintenance Issues to Your Landlord
If you live in a house where your family is paying the rent and covering the expenses, you will have to report maintenance issues to them. If the kitchen sink is clogged, the air conditioning isn’t working, or the bathroom floor is caving in, you can’t just leave it.
Your family doesn’t necessarily want to deal with maintenance, so you will have to step up to the plate. Maintenance issues won’t be fixed all at once, but if you report them and make a list, eventually, the house will get back in order.
Conclusion
Maybe living in a house isn’t for you, for the time being—perhaps you’re happy living in an apartment or a room. Either way, you’ll have to pull your own weight and make sure your place is clean and safe. That’s just the way it is.
Stayhaven Homes provides rooms and beds available in shared housing in Modesto, California. Since we opened our first room share home, we have provided a wide variety of special needs populations with affordable and specialized housing. Demographics served include but are not limited to: the disabled, veterans, seniors, sober living, transitional housing, re-entry, low-income, and other special needs populations. Our properties and services are of the highest caliber in our city and local area due to our commitment to safe, affordable all-inclusive living environments. If you’re looking for shared housing in San Joaquin, look no further! Call us at 209-280-0776 now for a virtual tour!