Moving into shared accommodation can be a great way to save money on rent and meet new people.
Space is often at a premium in share housing, so you may have to adjust to a smaller, living area. Personalising your shoe-box with makeshift curtains and band posters, while cramming all your junk between your desk, game consoles and TV can be an intense game of 'Tetris'.
The negotiations then begin over the best way to utilise communal areas. Remember that time you left the house for three hours and returned to find your new housemate cladding every surface, of what was a peaceful sunroom, with carpet and egg-cartons while his mates were unloading a ute full of drums and guitar amps?
Then there's the common problem (for Queenslanders) of what lurks underneath the house. This often un-secured black hole of useless space is the perfect dumping ground for each housemate that decides to move on. That all-too-familiar note left by a vacating housemate on the kitchen bench typically reads: 'Thanks for being awesome housemates guys. I've left a couch, a mattress and a broken table-tennis table under the house, but I'll pick these up in a few weeks.' Yeah, right.
Below are some tips for making your share living seem spacious:
1. Do A Clean Up
Clutter tends to accumulate in shared accommodation. To avoid living in cramped and untidy surroundings, clear away as much of the clutter as you possibly can. Start by giving away to charity any unwanted items and furniture left behind by previous tenants. Clean out the cupboards, sweep under the beds and put away kitchen appliances in order to free up bench tops. Once the house or unit has been cleaned from top to bottom, make the most of storage space and stow away any bulky items. Rearranging the furniture so that walkways are clear can also help to create a more spacious and comfortable living area. To prevent clutter from building up again, distribute chores evenly between housemates by creating a roster.
2. Organise The Kitchen
Limited space can become a source of conflict if you and your housemates don't have a system in place for storing food. Cleaning out the fridge, pantry and cupboards can make a shared kitchen much more spacious, not to mention hygienic. Be sure to throw away any food past its use-by date, and empty all plastic containers to make more room for fresh food. Allocating each housemate their own shelf in the fridge and a cupboard of their own can ensure that no one misses out on their fair share of space.3. Respect Common Areas
Harmonious share living requires tolerance, especially in houses short on space. If your accommodation is being overcrowded with unnecessary decorative items, it might be time to take a more minimalistic approach. Most share-living houses allocate each housemate a bedroom, which they can decorate to their own taste. Common areas are little trickier though, particularly if your housemates aren't in the habit of picking up after themselves. To make share living seem more spacious, ensure that all housemates make an effort to keep their possessions (including decorative items) from cluttering up common areas.4. Use Suitable Furniture
Share living calls for compact furniture. Trying to cram large, bulky items into your accommodation will only make what little room is available seem even smaller.Without the stress of having to unpack and assemble furniture yourself, you can begin settling into your shared accommodation as soon as you move in. Share living is the perfect environment in which to transition to a more independent lifestyle, and it presents the opportunity to experience your first taste of domesticity. With some minor adjustments, you can make your shared accommodation feel spacious and comfortable.
These tips were supplied by Iglu, a Sydney housing company offering fully furnished apartments.
