Living in a shared apartment can be tough with the rise of COVID-19. The morning after, social distancing steps waved goodbye to classes, house parties, and the hungover debrief. This can seem fairly overwhelming for new arrivals. You now have to think about keeping within the ever-changing rules, not only are you coping with moving to a new city and trying to make friends.
This doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom, however, and it can always be something to get excited about in your new student life. To help you get the most out of your time at university, here are a few tips during these unpredictable times for living in a shared apartment.
- Meet the instructions
During these occasions, the most relevant advice for living in Amberstudent shared accommodation is to obey government directives. You may not agree with them but be respectful of those around you and do not place any added risk on your flatmates. This means regularly washing your hands, wearing face coverings while out and about, and maintaining social distance.
Social distancing does not have to refer to the persons with whom you live. However, if they would prefer their bedroom, be sure to check with your flatmates what they are comfortable with and respect their limits.
- Be Respectful, Be Polite
As in any case, while living in a shared flat, communication is crucial. Particularly during these periods, common courtesy and polite manners are a definite must. So, make sure you appreciate the room your flatmates have. You’d also be shocked by how easy things can get lost in daily hustle and bustle, such as “please and thank you” and the difference these can make in creating a relaxed flat environment.
- Communicate Regularly
Having an existing mode of communication is essential for fast and easy communication with all members of your shared accommodation. A group on Facebook or WhatsApp can work well, but be mindful that not everyone uses social media. Yes, there are those individuals. Regardless of what sort of interaction you want, make sure it suits everybody.
Make sure you communicate clearly and early on. Don’t wait for the situation to get out of control and to build up frustrations and emotions. Have your complaints and demands heard from the start, and nobody can bite your head off as long as you remain respectful and consistent with your requests.
- Share Student Accommodation Duties
It is crucial to ensure that no member of the flat feels like they are being taken for granted or bearing all the load when living in Amber student shared accommodation. For flat tasks like throwing out the garbage and emptying the dishwasher, it’s worth considering a schedule. What matters most is that the whole flat understands and appreciates the effort. And sometime in the group chat, give a short thank you or put a great note in the kitchen when someone does something that helps your whole shared flat. It can make a huge difference, as ridiculous as it sounds, and can brighten up somebody’s day.
- Value Privacy
From periodically, given the current situation, tensions are likely to run high. So, offer space to each other. Shared accommodation should be fun. Not everyone is a morning person, however, and not everyone is particularly keen on company late at night. Often a flatmate may just want to go to the kitchen to grab a fast drink or eat a snack, not have an epic conversation about what their day was like. Of course, basic manners and polite smiles should be retained, but try to calculate the moods and rhythms of each other and during a simple chance meeting in the kitchen, do not try to force a conversation.
- Embrace variations
Pause for a moment and remember that you’re no longer on your own, you’re abroad on a house share. For those of you who prefer a little more messy stuff, but particularly for the neat-freaks: a shared flat will never be as clean as you want it to be. Compromise is a must, and somewhere in the middle, you need to be able to meet. Try to forget the little things.
- Keep Clean Stuff
Most specifically, with sanitation at the forefront of the minds of all, make sure that you clean up after yourself. Always make sure to leave as you find it in the kitchen and common room. Don’t leave Nutella marks on the fridge, wipe and discard the crumbs, clean any surfaces they’ve used if you’ve had visitors around. This might sound like stuff a nagging mom might say, but by now, we’re all adults.
- Ask before borrowing
A self-explanatory law, but nonetheless important to note. This is one of the most important principles for living in a shared space, and respecting people’s boundaries has never been more important. If there’s something you would like to use for your flatmates, like a little butter or milk, ask for it. As they might not be comfortable touching their stuff with you. Make sure to be polite and wash your hands beforehand if they don’t mind.
- Learn New Ways to Socialize
Long nights out and large group events are off the table, but that doesn’t mean that your social life has to decline. The best time to meet new people and make friends is during the first few months in your shared housing, so consider ways you can spend time with them without putting others at risk. Indoor hobbies such as baking, watching movies, or playing board games together may be part of this. Or you can go for hikes, discover your new city, venture out and With the allowed number of people, and enjoy food or drinks out.
Ultimately, perhaps most importantly, is to continue to stay upbeat. Although it may seem like you have taken away a lot of your independence, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your time at university. When it comes to your mental health, make sure to be transparent and frank with those around you, and vice versa, checking up on those who might need it.
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