3 things key to a great housemate relationship

Living with people you've never met can be exciting, but also really, really, hard. We're all different, and if you're rolling the dice chances are you won't mesh. Womp.

Up your odds - here's the 3 key things at Lyvly we look at to find that housemate you truly love living with ♥️

💼 Similar Life Stage 💼

You don't want to live with that housemate who is holed up in their room 90% of the time and refuses to pay their share because 'I don't use toilet paper' (🧐), but manages to throw some sort of fresher's party at 2am on a Wednesday morning.

Similar life stage also means a better chance you share what sort of home environment you want - peaceful, supportive, wine at 5pm.

Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly high-fiving in The Office (US Version)

✨ Shared Values ✨

Shared values is at the core of every human relationship, and definitely with people you live with. At Lyvly, we have 4 core values that housemates are screened against - feel free to use them during your next round of housemate interviews (yes, having at length conversations with potential housemates is super important, and shouldn't be overlooked).

Braxton Family Values
  • Be the best neighbour: Treating your home and housemates just the way you’d like to be treated.
  • Open the curtains and doors: Being open to connecting with each other, and asking or giving help where you can.
  • Growth happens together: Spending time with your housemates - whether that’s sports or cooking Sunday breakfast - truly make the home experience yours
  • Be a contribution: Chipping in your fair share so everyone plays an active part in the home

💷 Streamline Bills 💷

Figuring out bills is time-consuming and soul destroying. But by agreeing beforehand (in writing!) and streamlining the payment process, you can thankfully make it bearable.

Tweet describing roommate having an expensive shower
  1. Agree the split: this is usually the hardest part. 'You always leave the lights on', 'I never watch the TV anyway', it's almost impossible to agree. The best way is to agree to split the bill equally monthly, and also what consumables are included in communal costs (e.g. would toilet paper and detergent come under communal?)
  2. Sign a housemate contract: everything is better when it's written. There's loads of free online ones you can use, make sure the bill splitting, home behaviours (like quiet time), and how to replace housemates who are leaving, are covered.
Helga Pataki from Hey Arnold signing a contract
  1. Take charge of the payment: the way to reduce stress here, is to actually do it ourselves. I know, I know, but you don't want bailiffs, or utilities cut off because someone forgot to pay it. We recommend setting up a shared tab on Monzo for visibility and order.
Monzo Shared Tab app screen on iPhone 7

... and if this is all too much hassle, at Lyvly we do all this for you so you don't even have to think about it 😉

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