How To Get Along With Roommates

After spending a year in on campus housing, most students are ready to get away from the cramped dorm life and get their first off campus apartment. While you’re likely excited about the prospect of having your own private room, it’s still a good idea to be mindful and respectful of your roommates to ensure a pleasant living environment. Knox Ridge offers these tips to follow so your off campus housing near the University of Tennessee will be a place you’ll always love to come home to.  

KEEP COMMON AREAS CLEAN

Our student apartments in Knoxville are full of in-home amenities, and with those amenities comes a respect for the space that you all share. Each roommate will have an expectation of how tidy the apartment should be kept, and while a few pieces of dirty laundry on the couch or some dishes left on the table may not be an issue for you, it could bother your roommates. Discuss with roommates the expected cleanliness is for the apartment, and have an easy way to determine whose turn it is to take out the trash and perform other daily and weekly chores.

LOWER THE VOLUME

Everyone has a different schedule, and when one roommate is a night owl and the other is an early bird, disagreements can arise. Be mindful of when your roommates like to sleep, and consider keeping the volume and guests to a minimum when they’ve turned in for the night. While our Knoxville student apartments offer lots of privacy and ample space to jam out to tunes, your roommates will appreciate a quiet environment when they’re trying to catch a few extra hours of sleep or cram for a final exam.

COMMUNICATE

Airing out grievances before they get too large to handle can keep the peace regardless if you’re first-time roommates or have spent years living together. Our UTK off campus apartments are great entertaining guests, but waiting until the last minute to inform roommates of a party in the living room is asking for an argument. Be upfront about plans you have that may impact your roommates. Even if it’s a tough subject to discuss, like an issue with long-term guests or a roommate being loud at all hours of the night, talking about these problems in a polite manner before they fester can ensure all parties approach the issue with a level head and that a proper resolution can be reached.

STICK TO AN AGREEMENT

Ensuring everyone is on the same page from the get-go is one of the easiest ways to avoid altercations later on down the road. A roommate agreement clearly states the rules of the house, such as on what day the utilities need to be paid, if food sharing is allowed, what time the noise levels should be dropped to a minimum, and any other rules all roommates can agree on. While not all arguments can be solved with a roommate agreement, having one easily available for everyone in the apartment can provide guidelines if issues ever arise.