House-sharing tips...

**Pauro 76** · 18/04/2006, 8:33 AM

As a hardened verteran of the house sharing lark, and im due to be moving house soon for the umpteenth time, thought i�d ask for tips and share a few too for anyone stuck in the perilous world of the houseshare (froma blokes point of view of course)...

� Never live in a house where the girls outnumber the boys, any democratic decisions will be decided by the girls. End of. You will not win.
� Always make sure that there is at least one other male in your houseshare. A vital drinking buddy to watch the footy with and someone to bitch to about the rest of the housemates.
� Never, even if you are running low, borrow someone else�s milk, butter, ketchup etc. without their permission. They can spot it from a mile off. Even if you only thought about it.
�*In a communal tv living room situation, never say there�s football on the other channel, could you switch the station please. Again you will not win, let them watch their soaps, and go to the pub. In peace.
�*Lastly, but most importanlty. Never sh@g one of the housemates. (dont screw the crew). Limitless complications if you get dumped. Especially when she brins back other blokes.

any other vital tips?

**tetsujin1979** · 18/04/2006, 9:36 AM

Never live with a couple, similar to the rule out being outnumbered by girls, every argument you have with one of them, you will have with both of them. And you will lose. Badly.
In my experience (I've lived in several shared houses) it's best if there's an equal number of boys and girls.
A cleaning rota only works if everyone agrees to it
If you're assigned one of the bills (gas/electricity/phone/tv/etc) when you pay it, staple the receipt to it and leave it where everyone can see it.
Before you move in ask if it's a smoking house, if you do and it isn't, it's not worth your while. If you don't and it is, it's just as bad.
Always remember the house is at its cleanest when they're trying to get someone to move in, it's not going to stay looking spotless.
If there's a game console in the house, try not to plug it into the main communal TV, even a small portable in the same room will save countless arguments - trust me on this one

**Plastic Paddy** · 18/04/2006, 9:46 AM

Find your own place as soon as you can afford to do so. Failing that, house-share with friends. IMO living with strangers is a no-no.

PP

**Pauro 76** · 18/04/2006, 10:11 AM

A few more...
� Never live in a house with somebody who actually owns it. Democracy goes out the window and any (ahem) guests will be given a short sharp stare by the landlady. and you�ll never see the lass again. Also any accidental breakage, you cant just sweep under the carpet, they will know about it.
� If anyone objects to you having a friend or friends over to stay, move out. I once had a good pal of mine over to stay for the weekend, the landlady (as above) refused point blank. moved out the next week in protest.
� Try to live in a house where everyone speaks the same first language. Was in a house in my early days here with a few Koreans who spoke good English. but nothing worse when they�d be in the living room speaking in Korean to their friends. Got me very paranoid that did.
� Try and stick to the time you normally take a shower in the morning. saves a lot of hassle.

**Murph** · 18/04/2006, 12:00 PM

I find that leaving p*rn either in DVD or magazine format around a communal living room normally provokes reaction in a mixed house. Normally it just disappeares in an all male house!!!

**Eire06** · 18/04/2006, 12:27 PM

Try not to live with boys and if you have to don't share a bathroom with them..
Their Idea of cleanliness means you can't see the dirt so its not there and there is always the 'boy' smell

**paul_oshea** · 18/04/2006, 12:35 PM

biggest tip i can offer. dont live with galway people. never mind galway girls

I find that leaving p*rn either in DVD or magazine format around a communal living room normally provokes reaction in a mixed house. Normally it just disappeares in an all male house!!!

i have found this too, hence you should leave it sprawled in the middle of the floor or, turn it on and leave the telly on low, then hide in your room till someone comes home and see the reaction unfold, along with your answer of "jees i wonder whose that is"

**Roadend** · 18/04/2006, 2:27 PM

Any tips on how to get rid of somone from a house, someone you know a long time, but they just do not have the ability to live with other people.

**tetsujin1979** · 18/04/2006, 2:33 PM

Not really, if you know this guy a quiet word to let him know the state of affairs might sort out the problem. We had to call the landlord in to get rid of one guy a while back, but none of us could stand living with him anymore and none of us knew or cared where he went.
Thing is, a few months later the gardai called to the house looking for him. More than once!

**strangeirish** · 18/04/2006, 2:41 PM

Originally Posted by Roadend

Any tips on how to get rid of somone from a house, someone you know a long time, but they just do not have the ability to live with other people.

Have a phone in and see if you can get him voted out!

**$Leon$** · 18/04/2006, 2:41 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

biggest tip i can offer. dont live with galway people. never mind galway girls

Your right there had bad experience living with a pair of galway girls. No one else in the house liked them either. It got ugly towards the end.

**Pauro 76** · 18/04/2006, 3:50 PM

Originally Posted by $Leon$

Your right there had bad experience living with a pair of galway girls. No one else in the house liked them either. It got ugly towards the end.

Best housemates I've had were definitely Aussies. An Aussie mate in Dublin when i shared with himself and his missus, non-stop parties, never slow to get the 'tinnies' out and barbies in the summer! Strangely enough, houseshare im in is sh!t with backstabbing and nagging galore, and they're mostly Irish which i originally thought after my other failed house shares in London would be just the trick! I was wrong!

**paul_oshea** · 18/04/2006, 5:58 PM

it depends, you gotta remember your out in kingston with a lot of the knob jockeys that frequent club 92 et all when they are home.

southside noses up knickers down types....so ye can see where its coming from...

**Ash** · 19/04/2006, 9:04 AM

- Be weary if there is a landline in the house.
"Mystery" calls can appear on the bills which nobody claims they made!

- Agreed with "The Big Clean Up". The house is only clean when someone
is coming to view it.

- Housemates
It can be a right laugh sharing with students cos theres always a drinking buddy,
not so good when they invite half the college back to the gaff for a party and
its left to someone else to clean up. Or if you have to be up for work early and
theres people shouting theplace down till 5 in the morning

- Housesharing can get you into a rigid routine though, shower at a certain
time every morning, make dinner at a set time so the kitchen isnt crowded.
If you dare do anything at a different time then the place will turn into chaos

- Central heating!
I know people in a house share where some house mates have a tendency to
turn on the heating on a Firday evening after work, then heading off home for
the weekend and leaving the heating on. If its oil the tank will soon empty and
cost a lot to refill, if its gas the bills will be huge.

- In my experience cleaning rotas and kittys dont work cos niether are
adheard to. What I've seen happen is 1 persons cleaning day/week, everything
is left pile up until they can be bothered to clean, and so the places turns into a
pigsty. Better to clean as you go.

**Pauro 76** · 19/04/2006, 12:02 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

it depends, you gotta remember your out in kingston with a lot of the knob jockeys that frequent club 92 et all when they are home..

Can indeed man... funny enough moving to North London this weekend, Hendon to be exact... also about landlines as well, a guy i once houseshared with, he left the house with no notice, ran up a �200 phone bill, (most to those naughty sort of lines) and stole money and house ornaments! the fcuker....

**paul_oshea** · 19/04/2006, 12:21 PM

ah good man pauro i now live in finchley central which is about 10 mins from there, but dont be going to that sh1te hole the claddagh...

**Pauro 76** · 19/04/2006, 1:27 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

ah good man pauro i now live in finchley central which is about 10 mins from there, but dont be going to that sh1te hole the claddagh...

Been there. A dump! But its not a bad old area, i may meet for few pints with ya seeing as your only up the road, pm us your number if ya can, might have it or not as the case may be!