Whether it is during your freshman year in a dorm or during your junior year in an off-campus flat, living with your multiple flatmates may be either a dream or a nightmare. Sharing your life with one or a couple flatmates is not easy, and it does come with its benefits and at times, disadvantages.

Are you nervous about an impending or current flatmate situation and do not know exactly how to handle it? Not sure if living with multiple flatmates is the right move for you? Check out this simple list of the pros and cons of living with multiple flatmates below to help ease any questions or concerns your mind may be wrestling with!

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Pros

• Share the Bills: One super important element about living with someone (if you are in a flat/house) is figuring out how to split up living expenses like rent/amenities/cable + internet. Taking on adult responsibilities and figuring out how to effectively split bills can be difficult but it will definitely save you any kind of money-related trouble in the future. When living with multiple flatmates, all the expenses are divided up (minus ones that each person has individually), which can help cut the costs down for you- a definite pro!

• Having a Friend Around: Between endless papers, labs, extracurricular activities, and jobs it’s hard to maintain a strong social life in college without driving yourself crazy! Part of the great thing about having multiple flatmates is you don’t have to travel too far (i.e. outside your bedroom) to sit back and hang out with some friends. You can plan to have a movie night, cook a meal together, or play some games. The point is, when life gets hectic and sometimes lonely, it’s nice to be able to have friends around like your roomies!

• Cleaning: Let’s be real, no one truly likes doing chores (unless you’re like me and sometimes likes cleaning to de-stress). You might be able to get away with not doing chores at home, but when you live with flatmates, your lack of tidying up in the house definitely adds up. However, that’s why living with flatmates is so great- because all of the chores don’t get put just on one person, rather, it is a joint effort! You can alternate between who takes out the trash every week, who cooks dinner on Tuesday nights, who washes dishes after dinner, who vacuums on weekends, etc. to make things smoother!

• Sharing: Another great thing about having multiple flatmates is you guys practically share everything, from furniture to dishes to even food (that depends on the person, be careful)! Having shared items takes some pressure off of you to have to come up with items that you might not have or be able to afford. they write, “If you’re renting your first flat, purchasing all the necessary furniture and kitchen supplies can be expensive. Pooling your resources with a flatmate will make the process of furnishing your flat much easier.”

  Cons

• Privacy: Everyone loves the chance to spend time by themselves, unwind, watch the latest episode of their favourite TV show, and not have to worry about anything. Privacy when living with a flatmate/flatmates can sometimes be violated, as it can just naturally (and accidentally) happen while living together. Sometimes you want to be able to call your mom or best friend without having someone else breathing down your throat or take a relaxing shower without worrying about who wants to jump in next.

• Schedules: Not everyone can have the same schedule, and this goes for flatmates. One of your flatmates might have classes in the morning and work at night, while another might have to study all night long and take classes at night. Having conflicting schedules can sometimes be difficult because your flatmate’s daily routine can interfere with yours “Conflicting schedules tend to cause riffs between flatmates for many different reasons. Maybe you like to go to bed early, but your flatmates always make noise when they come home late. Perhaps you prefer to stay up late watching TV, but your flatmates have to get up early for work.”

• Frenemy: Unfortunately, flatmate situations don’t always turn out positive. Sometimes, due to conflicts of lifestyles, cleaning habits, schedules, opinions, etc., flatmates argue and end up resenting each other. This can happen whether you live with one or multiple flatmates, but a sour flatmate situation can be more award amongst a group of roomies, rather than just between two.

  Going from living by yourself to living with flatmates can be a large adjustment and have both its benefits and disadvantages. Just remember to trust your gut and have an open heart; I guarantee you that you’ll look back the years with your flatmates as some of the best of your life. As always, good luck!

Next read: Should I Rent House vs. Flat: Which One Is Right For You?