You know how hard it is to find a good flatmate, but have you ever considered whether or not you are a good flatmate? It may be that you have been concentrating much harder on other flatmates' flaws than you have at correcting your own.
To help you find out if you are a good flatmate we have put together the following questionnaire. Answer each question, then total your "yes" answers and match this number to the explanatory paragraphs at the end to determine if you are a good flatmate or not.
1. Have you agreed to basic home rules with your flatmates? 2. Do you respect the home rules to which you have agreed with flatmates? 3. Do you pay your share of the rent on time? 4. Do you pay your share of the utilities on time 5. Are you respectful of your flatmates' property? 6. Do you keep common areas neat and clean? 7. Are you respectful of your flatmates' schedules? 8. Do you check with flatmates before hosting events in your home? 9. Do you and your flatmates have a policy regarding overnight visitors 10. Do you do agreed upon chores at agreed upon times? 11. Do you clean up after yourself in the kitchen or bathrooms? 12. Do you try to take a basic interest in your flatmates' lives?
"yes" to between zero and four questions
If you answered "yes" to between zero and four questions then you are not likely a good flatmate. You seem to show little respect for your flatmates and their possessions, and little interest in creating good relationships. There is no doubt that your life would be enriched should you choose to improve the atmosphere in your home, and you might even find that you make new friends. If nothing else you could garner some good recommendations should you need to find new flatmates in the future. Start today by cleaning up your home, and make it a priority to become more respectful of everyone you live with. It might not be easy, but it will be worth it.
"yes" to between five and eight questions
If you answered "yes" to between five and eight questions then you may be a good flatmate. It's likely you pay your share of expenses and meet agreed upon living standards, but if you do little more than this then you might be conveying to your flatmates that you don't care very much about your living situation. There is nothing particularly wrong with this, but if you are invested in your home and your flatmates then you might want to do more to solidify this arrangement. Little things like offering some of your cooking, accepting packages for others and agreeing to overnight guests or hosting dinner parties can go a long way towards creating favourable relationships among flatmates.
"yes" to nine or more questions
If you answered "yes" to nine or more questions then you are likely a good flatmate. You likely meet your obligations, respect your flatmates and their possessions, and are happy to be more flexible when unique situations arise. If you find yourself living with flatmates who don't meet this same standard then you might consider moving to a new home in which you are able to recruit your own flatmates. But don't give up on sub-standard flatmates quite yet, leading by example is a great way to model the behaviour your would appreciate from them and it may only be a little while before everyone in your home begins to enjoy a better atmosphere and good relationships.
