Share-house living!

[Strika]

Well, thus far it fucking sux!

It took me three showers to eventually clear the crap off the shower walls and bath. It's a near new place so I'm not sure HTF they could get it that filthy, but it's sparkling now!

The toilet was brown folks! Yep brown. Once again it took a bottle of bleach and a bottle of harpic with a stiff brush to clean it. Now, it's sparkling!

The kitchen was no better and once again I had to clean it a few times to get it clean.

But, there is one person in this house who is just a pig. Uses everyone's stuff and doesn't return it. Uses crockery and leaves it sitting filthy in the sink for someone else to wash and put away and hasn't put his hand in his pocket for anything in the 5 days I have been in there.

Initially, I had put my kitchen stuff in with their stuff like you normally do, but yesterday, I removed all my stuff and put it into empty cupboards. I can't stand dirty people!!! Even to the point where, this guy will sit at home of a night, have three cups of coffee all from three fresh cups out of the cupboard and just leave them in the sink with coffee dregs in them to leave a stain!!!!!

Believe me, I'm not anal about cleanliness and I don't mind a little choas in a house. It doesn't need to be inch perfect. But, I do need it at least to be clean enough that I can eat from them!

Mark my words, the day that I am clear of this Monkey which was created for me, is the day I will be moving out!!!!!

[T]

Marty,

I share your pain..

I used to share a unit with my ex and another couple. Now i'm not a clean freak but I was always picking up and cleaning up after them. They used everything of ours even our food.They didn't pitch in either for joint purchases only for their stuff. In the end I stopped doing it and as you can imagine they didn't change their habits.

We eventually had our own garbage bins, our own fridge with a lock on it in the end. We cooked our meals for us only, washed up our stuff, emptied our bins.
We came home one day and found shyte everywhere and it looked like there had been a food fight. What looked like RICE on the floor ( which was carpeted) was ok until I went to pick it up (cause they just walked over it etc) and it moved.......
We weren't there for much longer after that..My ex and I lost it.

You need to have house rules for the time your are there or it isn't going to work. Tell him what is right and what isn't from the beginning or you are going to hate it there whilst you have to be there.

[javaman]

I had a friend who put all his dirty clothes on the floor and one day he found this decomposing rat underneath. Lucky I did not get to see it

[robracer]

Welcome to the real world Marty
when I was between marragies I was sharing with a guy who was a bit of a slob, nothing major but the worst was he couldnt flush properly , either that or never bothered to check when he had finished Luckily we had another loo that I could use or I would have gone spare
Another thing on the matter of sharing .... the dammned worst thing I have come across is this same guy had the best looking GF (not living with us) & she was a really great person who was a pleasure to talk to & hang with, the barstard would cheat on her at every given opportunity & although I bit my tounge & never said anything I felt so sorry for her to have this dick head for a BF

[Possum]

... I’m sure most of us have been there at some stage.... and I quiver when I think of the purple shag pile carpet which clogged the vac, the orange kitchen and spewy apple green toilet, not to mention the three highly undomesticated beings I shared with… who poisoned goldfish fish with blue curacao and left dishes to get up and run away....

But alas… I look like I’m headed down the shared house path again…
Ideally I’d like to stay in the place I’m in and get someone in… So can any one offer advice on what questions to ask and how to screen for a housemate?

[aardvark]

nothing major but the worst was he couldnt flush properly , either that or never bothered to check when he had finished

Hahahahahaha... I was just about to post my own tale up when I read this.

When Sally and I were trying to save to build our house, we lived with my brother and his fiance for 2 years in a rental. We had our fair share of arguments and disagreements. Luckily I'm a shift worker so wasn't really home that often, and when I am home I like to keep my own company.

The one thing that really, really irked Sal, was the lack of ability the brothers fiance had in flsuhing the toilet. Either she didn't know where the button was, or by the time she stood up and pulled the pants up she'd forgotten that she'd just been, or she was trying to save water. Never worked out which.

She also had a habbit of leaving one piece of paper on the roll. Quite annoying.

Now all Sal has to do is run around picking up after 2 kids. At least the oldest kid only makes a mess in the study, and beer bottles aren't that hard to pick up.

[frog]

I have a young bloke living at home at the mo' that I had around to get him out of depression from a realtionship breakup.
Hes come good but FUG ME the guy is 24 and is a pig, obv had his bum wiped all his life.
Monday was crunch night, he has a dog and two cats and smokes so never ANY money and I had enough so a sign went on the door.
NO animals in the house.
When he came in I aid "What cant you f*en read either?" The blank look was priceless.
SO I continued getting hotter by the second "Well you are like the dog or cat mate, you eat food, dont replace it and put your shit wherever you like. So if you can tell me ONE reason why you are better than an animal, come in. IF not read the f*en sign and get downstairs with the rest of the f*n animals".
I think FINALLY the message may have sunk in.
Of course he is out the door whether he gets it or not.
Hey its MY house, not a share one

have a look at this and post it around the house, they MAY get the idea too
http://www.rta.qld.gov.au/zone_files/Re ... erules.pdf

[Bogan]

Ahh yes, share house living. ain't it grand.

I have had the best of times and the worst of times, I had an engaged couple in for a while, I was in the house first and was pretty much the senior partner, but we got on like a house on fire, never fought about chores, the worst that happened was they left owing me a couple of hundred bucks but I am so over that, and was pretty quickly, and we are still great mates even though they're now in Melbourne and have been for two years.

I have also lived with very untidy people, I was a bit softcock about it with one set and ended up cleaning up their shit and grumbling to myself about it, got royally taken for a ride. Other places I've had my own shelves for food, no share meals, cooked my own stuff and tried to do my best to do my share of the housework. The two girls in that house weren't the cleanest freaks you've ever lived with but I wasn't either, and nothing was unbearable but I still didn't like the way the vibe was so I left.

You've got a few choices in your current place. Don't pick up any of their shit, leave it to pile up and maybe they'll get the message eventually. Have a go, bring it to a head, talk it over and try to agree on some groundrules. You could even go so far as making a roster. Say nothing and put up with it, all the while looking for somewhere else. I'd suggest option 1 or 2. It depends on how far you want to go for shits and giggles as to whether you just let them live in their own filth, or whether you can in fact wait that long.

Get it all out early so that you can move forward.

In looking for a new housemate the last couple of times I did it I was more concerned with my peace of mind than having the bills paid. The first guy who came over was financially secure but a massive bookworm/IT nerd and not the kind of guy I could sit around having a few beers with watching the footy, so even though I needed the money I said no thanks. I'd rather have people come over, have a brief look around the house, decide if it meets their requirements and then sit around and talk and see if we'll get on. You have to spend a lot of time in the same house and it's not good having to avoid people where you live. Make sure you'll get on, make sure expectations are clear as regards shared/separate things (cooking, cleaning, socialising, financials) and then make a decision from there. If money is what's important then remember that when you get upset about their social or domestic choices, if these other things are important then if they ask for an extra week to pay their share of the gas bill then take that with a grain of salt if they're a good chess player or you get interesting conversation from them to unwind after a COAD at work.

If there are financial expectations like bond, notice period for moving out, rent and bill payments, get them documented even just briefly, so that if you don't want to get stuck holding the baby then you won't.

I've even had good natured discussions with housemates about prorata payments of entry and exit utility bills, because I didn't want to have to pay half share of three months worth of electricity bills when I'd only been living there three weeks when it arrived.

Documenting things can be used as an arse covering mechanism, and doesn't have to be a big deal, and it may just save bad vibes later down the track.

[z900/zx9]

Well i would have a chat with them then if its not sorted out i would then place a few well picked articals and put it in there room.If its still a problem i would put all there dirty shit in there bed

[Black Magic]

Yep, I'm with you Marty!

I just had a family member stay with me for an indefinite amount of time (turned out only three weeks in the end.) Seemed like three years.

I keep tellin ya- YOU NEED YOUR OWN PLACE ASAP so you can settle!!

[photomike666]

Got ducted heating? Lift an air vent in their room and place their old socks above the vent, or better kippers. Gotta love that smell

[Strika]

I wrote out three responses to this thread this arvo and all three dropped into the never never forcing me to retype my reply!!! This time, I'm going to be smart and copy it before I hit Submit!!!

I decided on one course of action, which is to leave the dirty dishes he uses in the sink and only wash up mine when I use them. So this morning I had breakky then washed my cup, bowl, spoon, plate and knife. Then dried them and put them away. I then put his dirty dishes in the sink. They are still there, in the now cold soapy water I dumped them in this morning. It's not like he hasn't had time either, as he had today off work and was home earlier tonight having something to eat and making more mess! He's frustrating me already!!!!!

[Strika]

Yep, I'm with you Marty!

I just had a family member stay with me for an indefinite amount of time (turned out only three weeks in the end.) Seemed like three years.

I keep tellin ya- YOU NEED YOUR OWN PLACE ASAP so you can settle!!

Yeah I'm listening BM, but you need to take into consideration that the financial position I have been left in is precarious at best! I am technically insolvent at the moment and it's going to take a few months untill the balance sheet is black again. Till then, I have to suffer fools!

I have asked nicely and now have left not so subtle hints. If he doesn't sort it, the next course of action will not be pleasant for him.

[Nanna10r]

I have a little game called "Bog Pirate".

It's where I GET to hide abandoned treaure like empty toilet rolls, dirty undies, empty milk cartons etc in side some ones pillow slip, undie draw & where ever the phuk i feel like. They dont necessarily get the message but it keeps me amused.

Dont Worry Marty, i'm sure it's only temp. Scenario.

Cheers Nanna

[Strika]

I have a little game called "Bog Pirate".

It's where I GET to hide abandoned treaure like empty toilet rolls, dirty undies, empty milk cartons etc in side some ones pillow slip, undie draw & where ever the phuk i feel like. They dont necessarily get the message but it keeps me amused.

Dont Worry Marty, i'm sure it's only temp. Scenario.

Cheers Nanna

MMMMM! You've given me some ideas now!!!! Do you think a little smear of poo inside his pillow case is going too far?????