Ground rules for living with a roommate – what to agree on before moving in

Tidiness is worth discussing before you move in together. For one person, a thin layer of dust on the table is a sign that the vacuum cleaner should come out. The other might notice it next month.

Agree together on how cleaning the shared spaces is divided. You could take weekly turns, for example, or split the tasks so that one of you handles the bathroom and the other the kitchen.

The most important thing isn't a perfect cleaning calendar, but that you both have roughly the same idea of what kind of home you want to live in. Taking out the rubbish is worth talking about too. A bin that mysteriously empties itself has, as far as anyone knows, not yet been invented.

In a shared home, you don't need to buy everything twice. Few apartments need two toasters, two vacuum cleaners or several microwaves.

It is worth agreeing, though, on which items are for shared use and which are personal. The same goes for food. Are milk, coffee, spices and cooking oil shared, or does each of you buy your own? What about toilet paper, detergents and other shared consumables?

Small things can feel insignificant before the move, but in everyday life they are exactly what causes irritation. A clear agreement makes life easier for both of you.

On top of rent, living usually involves other costs too, such as electricity, internet, shared groceries and streaming services. You might also buy furniture or appliances for the shared home.

Agree in advance on which costs are shared and how they are paid. At its simplest, shared bills can be split in half, but the main thing is that the practice is clear to both of you.

If you buy something together, like a sofa or a television, it's worth agreeing at the same time on who it belongs to once the shared living arrangement eventually ends. That conversation is considerably more pleasant when neither of you is standing next to a moving van holding one end of the sofa.

The home is a space you share, so guests are worth discussing as well.

For one person it's completely normal to have friends over several times a week. The other wants to come home after a long day without finding seven strangers in the living room.

At the very least, agree on whether guests should be mentioned in advance and how often a partner can stay over. You don't need to ask permission for everything, but being considerate is part of good roommate life.

Different daily rhythms work fine under the same roof as long as both of you are considerate.

If one of you wakes up at six for work and the other watches series until two in the morning, it's worth agreeing on some kind of quiet hours. The same applies to listening to music, gaming and other louder hobbies. Headphones are, in this situation, one of humanity's most useful inventions.

The goal isn't to turn the home into a library, but to make sure that both of you can rest and spend time at home in your own way.

The kitchen, living room and bathroom belong to both of you. When it comes to shared spaces, you usually get far simply by keeping your roommate in mind.

It's probably not worth spreading your own belongings permanently across the whole living room, and you may not need to claim every bathroom shelf on the first day.

If you're both in a hurry at the same time in the morning, agreeing on shower turns in advance can help. A little planning saves you from both trying to brush your teeth in front of the same mirror at seven in the morning.

Even when roommates get along well, things don't always go perfectly. At some point one of you forgets the dishes in the sink, leaves the lights on or does something else that starts to grate.

These things are worth bringing up before a small irritation grows into a big problem.

Most roommate conflicts are easier to resolve when they are talked about directly and calmly. Your roommate may not even know they're doing something bothersome if it's never mentioned.

Living with a roommate can be fun, sociable and financially sensible. At its best, you also gain someone to share both the small everyday moments and the occasional pizza order with.

You don't need to draw up a written contract or a 14-point rulebook on the fridge door. It is, however, worth discussing the most important things before moving in together.

When you have a shared understanding of cleaning, costs, guests, belongings and the use of shared spaces, roommate life starts from a considerably better place.

Still looking for the right roommate? Download the KämppisFinder mobile app and find someone it's easy to agree on ground rules with.