For better or for worse, co-living with another person and sharing your living space can leave a lasting impact. The facts about roommates and co-living with them are that it’s not easy but it does have its perks.
Apart from companionship, co-living with a roommate helps you save money as you can split bills and other utilities with another person. So when you find yourself in a co-living situation, you need to be aware of the facts about roommates and the types of roommates and personalities that you’ll see.
14 Types of Roommates You’ve Probably Come Across
Here are 14 types of roommates you’re sure to come across, or have already had an encounter with in the past.
1. The Neat Freak
The neat freak comes with unexpected cleaning standards (think dust free picture frames and a labeled kitchen cabinet). These types of roommates are so dialled into the itty-bitty details, and it can be fun (for a time!), but if you’ve been living on a different planet and haven’t watched Friends, how will you learn about managing your real-life Monica Gellar at home?
Source: Pexels
It’s mostly easy to deal with the type of roommate who like things clean and organized. The trick is to make sure you do your part to keep common areas clean. You can trash your room all you want, but never let the mess go out of your own space. If you’re sharing the room, then your junk should only be on your bed.
Look at the bright side, appreciate your sparkling apartment, and do your bit to keep it looking beautiful.
2. Clingy Roommates
Making new friends is important, but some roommates tend to be too friendly that they become ‘clingy’. They invade your personal space and can even act as your shadow. Sharing a co-living space assumes a license for the clinger to be friends with your friends and go wherever you go.
Make boundaries when living with a clinger
With the clinger type of roommates, try to keep your private life private and don’t share too much. Be gentle in drawing lines, as they might throw a fuss and create a self-pity situation.
3. The Quiet One
With this type of roommate, there aren’t any greetings and they don’t talk unless you ask them a question. They’re in and out of the house like a stealthy cat. Don’t expect more than a wave or a subtle nod from them.
When living with quiet roommates, it’s best to leave a written note if you wish to communicate. You’re actually considered lucky if you’re living with quiet roommates, as compared to some of the others in this list.
4. The Party Animal
This is the type of roommate who never goes to class unless surrounded by fraternal brothers or sorority sisters. Their favorite time is late at night when they’re partying, and they come back home with a crowd of people. They’re the extroverted version of the clingers who are often shy.
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Make house rules that limit guests
To deal with this type of roommate, talk to them about it in a matter of fact tone with no overkill. Social butterflies always have a crowd buzzing around them, so try to setting boundaries in the apartment. Maybe you could limit guests to only stay until a particular time in the night or to tone it down after 10 P.M. because we all need our beauty sleep.
5. The Lover
Since you’ve started living with them you’ve seen a a record breaking number of individuals walk out of their room every morning. And sometimes this type of roommate carries their display of affection outside their bedroom.
Try to avoid being embarrassed when living with the romantic type
Living with a romantic type of roommate means you need to have an unspoken code before you walk in the room, like a hat on a doorknob. If you still happen to walk in on them during an awkward lip-smacking session (or worse), suggest that they should have date nights someplace else other than your crash pad. They’ll get the picture.
6. The Passive Aggressive One
One of the reasons people behave passive aggressively is the fear of direct display of anger. The way to communicate with them is to keep it simple and to be assertive. It’s best to avoid gossip and huffing and puffing.
Keep a check on the words you use
The best way to communicate with passive aggressive roommates is through written notes. In case their random notes surpass your patience levels, you can join them at their own game. Leave a post-it note: “Had your leftover pizza as I was hungry. It was yummy.”
7. Slobs
The slobs are one of the most difficult types of roommates to live with. They have no basic hygiene or cleaning habits. They’re easy to spot – think dirty clothes piled up, food wrappers, unwashed dishes, and always in need of a shower.
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Honestly, you can’t really do anything about them
One thing you need to know about slobs is that they make those choices consciously, so a conversation may not kick them into action. The best way to go around this is to create boundaries for their mess, and deal with them as you would with a reverse of the neat freak. If creepy crawlers are coming up to your space or if you cannot do without an odor mask, talk to your resident assistant (RA) or start looking for a new place.
8. Night Owls
This type of roommate finds themselves most productive when everyone goes to sleep. The night owl roommate lives with you but has the routine of a resident country on the opposite side of the globe.
What’s nice about this type of roomie is if you need someone to wake you up in the middle of the night, you can count on them.
9. The Hermit
The live-ins love their room so much that they probably don’t come out of there. They even skip class or work to watch TV or play a video game in peace. Hermits are similar to the quiet ones, but hermits value their privacy and personal space more. Usually, this type of roommate engages in solitary activities, like reading or doing their own hobbies in their own space.
The best way to deal with hermits is to tell them that you need space to study or work, relax, and have friends come over. Come up with a compromised way of space sharing. If you have separate bedrooms and rarely see this roommate, consider it a blessing. Just keep an eye out to see if your roommate’s still doing okay or not.
10. Types of roommates who “borrow” a lot
These are the type of roommates who like to “borrow” your things. The items may not be generally expensive, but the habit is annoying.
Try to be honest with your your roommate and tell them how their behavior makes you feel.
Give them a taste of their own medicine
Else try and behave like them and text them, “Can I borrow your perfume?” It might help.
11. The Athlete
Having an athlete as a roommate can be good and bad. Good because you can be inspired to hit the gym or try out some new sports, and bad because there could be a lot of workout gear in the apartment.
12. Mother/Father Figure Roomie
These types of roommates are always looking out for you. The Mother/Father figure always ask, “are you okay?”, “have you eaten?”, “why are you home late?”. But don’t get them wrong, they aren’t overbearing, they just genuinely care about you.
13. The Chef
Living with an aspiring chef, or just a person who knows how to make gourmet chicken nuggets, will have you eating good at the apartment. The only downside is that the kitchen can get messy, and your roommate may need a helping hand. Another could be hearing pots and pans at three in the morning.
14. The Roommate Turned Bestie
It’s not always that you get a roommate and best friend in one, but sometimes luck is just on your side. These types of roommates give you a feeling like you’ve known each other for years, when in reality, it’s only been a few months.
Source: Unsplash
Although it’s rare to get a hold of this type of roommate, Roomi can streamline your search for one! Roomi is the best roommate finder with a user-friendly interface, various filters to narrow down your search, and security measures that protect its users’ data and privacy.
Types of Roommates: Where to Find One?!
In 2024, you’re bound to meet a variety of roommates, each bringing their unique quirks and qualities. From the neat freak to the party animal, there’s never a dull moment when living with others. And to help you find the most appropriate roommate for you, use Roomi.
Source: Roomi
As a roommate finder, Roomi makes co-living easier. The app offers cheap and high-quality rooms for rent, and renters looking for rooms. So, whether you’re a renter or looking for someone to split expenses with, Roomi is the app to use. It has a wide list of filters, from age, gender, budget, duration, to lifestyle. More than that, Roomi uses a matchmaking algorithm to match you with the best roommate according to your profile.
Not to mention, Roomi takes its users’ security and privacy seriously. The app conducts background checks by Garbo™ and ID verification for all of its users to ensure that there aren’t any scammers or fraud. The users’ data is also protected by GlobalID, a verification system that keeps your data encrypted. So, what more can you ask for?
If you’re excited to see who you’ll encounter, sign up today to get a sneak peek into the future and ensure you’re prepared for any roommate scenario that comes your way!
