Lifestyle

6 types of roommate and how to deal with them

Dealing with people in a respectful and cooperative manner is an essential component of most careers. Why not develop it on the homefront?

Here are some common bad roommates and how to deal with them.

1. The Moocher
Maybe once you said she/he could borrow something or have one of your crackers. Soon you find that she/he is wearing your entire wardrobe and all your cheese is gone. And that bottle of wine you brought home? Clearly that was for the entire apartment, right?


How to deal: You have to set boundaries! Make it clear, even if that requires an awkward talk, that you buy that food with the intention of you eating it and you alone. And you may be open to lending her clothes, but you need to know about it first.

2. The Party Girl/Guy
This is the girl/guy who still hasn’t come to grasp with the fact that you’ve been out of college for a few years or you are in college to learn. She/he is still wearing a Greek letters and woohooing when people come into rooms (though frankly I love it when people do that for me.) Every night still has the potential to be epic. She/he constantly has people over and most weekend nights turn into an after party back at your place. It’s noisy, messy, and hard to watch this generally unhealthy lifestyle.

How to deal: Perhaps suggest just reigning in the constant partying or that they cannot bring back a party to their place every weekend. Crash somewhere else.

3. The Quiet Angry One
You know the one. They leaves notes about how you left your toothpaste with the cap off and it really derailed their entire day. Passive aggression is never fun to deal with. This is really a case of a bad attitude, which is easier to fix then say changing a person’s sloppy habits. Dr. Michael Short, a psychologist in Columbus, Ohio says,

“Kill her with kindness. I mean, defer to her. Fix it however you can. This is your home and the last thing either of you wants or needs is misery in it.” Assume they are just depressed or upset about something that really has nothing to do with you so you may as well not make it worse.

4. The Stalker
We’ve seen this so many times in film. It is the Single White Female syndrome. This girl/guy is maybe a little lost and doesn’t have many friends so she/he gloms on to you and your friends. She/he also copies your haircut and taste in clothes. She/he also texts and calls you constantly and wants to know where you are.

How to deal: You need to nip this in the bud before it actually does turn into Single White Female (which is really upsetting). It is going to be tough, but you need to have a talk with her about why this bothers you. Keep in mind that imitation is really just flattery.

5. The Slob
This is one of the most difficult roommates to work with. People that don’t care about hygiene or cleanliness are pretty tough and are often reluctant to change especially the older they get.

How to deal: Try to show them the benefits of being clean i.e. no bugs, vernon, or other creatures invading your apartment. Keep your area neat, but if their mess starts to infiltrate, make some demands.

6. The Cleaner
Being really clean is definitely not as bad as messy, but it can get tough if you feel like you can’t live in your own apartment. I had a roommate like this and I was literally afraid to eat food when he was around.

How to deal: Try to be as clean as possible when it comes to your stuff, but don’t change your life. In the end she/he will probably just clean up after you anyway.