Extended guests can ruin roommate relationships

In today’s society, it is the norm to graduate high school, go to college, and get a job. Success in all these areas should eventually result in living in a house you can pay for, buying your own groceries, and learning how to be more open-minded on how you affect the world and how the world affects you. Essentially, all these things should result in your being a self-dependent college-aged individual.

If you’re lucky in this situation, you may get roommates that are going through the same thing as you. In this case, things, like buying cleaning supplies, replacing the toilet paper, or even cleaning the house, can be distributed evenly between all the roommates. However, sometimes someone may not be fulfilling their share of the work. When you are constantly on the run to go to class, work and other activities in your schedule, it is hard to keep track of what is going on in your house.

College students who are used to living with roommates understand how normal it is to have people constantly coming in and out of the house as well as crashing on the floor. You may even have loved ones or friends stay over for days to the point where your roommates may feel like your guests have begun living there. In the process of your busy day and busy life, have you ever stopped to think how the other people in your life are affected by your freeloading guests? Did you consider how your guests’ behavior would affect everyone else in the house? How about considering how it looks when your guests are mooching off the utilities giving nothing in return? These guests, even if they mean well, are more than likely seen as disrespectful and inconsiderate by others you live with.

It is always important as a college student in a house full of others to be respectful of what your roommates’ needs and opinions are. Some people may be agitated by guests staying for extended periods of time and your negligence in informing them of the situation. These guests are typically not mindful of the house rules, such as taking off your shoes, cleaning the garbage, tracking mud, taking long showers, etc.. When these people are constantly using the bathroom, using electricity and connecting to wifi, the bills constantly go up and the brunt of the responsibility is passed off to your house-mates. 

For any decision, but especially when it comes to guests, try to think of all the people living with you and how your actions directly influence their lives. It is obnoxious and downright inconsiderate when the small things you don’t consider negatively impact those living with you. Next time, think about why the person is there, and if nothing else, make sure they pay some of the bills.