Roommates help cut down the expenses of rent and utilities, and sometimes, they’re even built-in best friends. Living with a nightmare roommate, on the other hand, can totally ruin the sanctuary of your home.
Certain qualities can cause tension and personality clashes, leading to discomfort and conflicts in your shared living space. Certain personality traits can particularly exacerbate these tensions, turning what should be a harmonious living arrangement into a stressful ordeal. Here are 12 personality traits that might make someone a nightmare roommate.
1. Disorganized
A roommate who is disorganized and messy can turn your apartment or home into pure chaos. You’ll have to deal with misplaced items, cluttered living areas, and general untidiness.
At first, this personality trait can seem harmless, but after a while, it will lead to frustration and discomfort. Talk to your roommate and come up with a solution, so you can live more comfortably together.
2. Lack of Respect for Boundaries
Just because they’re your roommate, doesn’t mean they should know everything about your life. Be wary of roommates Roommates who don’t respect your personal boundaries.
A nightmare roommate will borrow items without asking, eat your leftovers, or even overstep emotional boundaries. Such behavior can lead to significant privacy issues and cause you not to trust the individual.
3. Unreliability
Whether it’s failing to pay rent or bills on time, or not holding up their end of household chores, unreliability can place extra burdens on everyone else living in the space. You need to live with people that you can count on to come through in every situation.
According to Forbes, 78% of adults are living paycheck to paycheck in the United States. Your roommate may be struggling to make ends meet, but if they’re unreliable with paying their own way, it could hurt your financial situation as well.
4. Poor Communication
As in a marriage, good communication is key to living successfully with a roommate. You need to be able to discuss needs, expectations, or issues clearly.
Poor communicators often create misunderstandings and unresolved conflicts. The ideal roommate is open, honest, and willing to alter certain behaviors so that everyone is comfortable.
5. Hostility
The ultimate nightmare roommate is mean, hostile, and argumentative. This overly aggressive individual can make home life unbearable.
Frequent arguments, passive-aggressive behavior, or outright cruelness can create a toxic living environment. Such negativity can lead to stress and discomfort for everyone.
6. Inflexibility
Living with someone requires compromise. A roommate who is inflexible or unwilling to accommodate what other people need can be a nightmare. Inflexibility can prevent the development of fair solutions to conflicts. For these bad roommates, it’s their way or the highway.
7. Loudness
Excessively loud roommates, whether through their speech, music, or activities, can disrupt the sanctuary of your home. Constant noise can interfere with your sleep, relaxation, and concentration.
When you can’t find peace in your home, it makes your living situation unbearable. Politely ask your roommate to quiet down, and if they don’t heed your words, then look for alternate arrangements.
8. Indifference
Some roommates may seem like they’re casual and laidback. However, don’t confuse these qualities for outright indifference.
A nightmare roommate is uncaring and blasé about household responsibilities or the feelings of other roommates. Make sure potential roommates are aware of other people before inviting them to share your space.
9. Over-friendliness
Friendly people may seem like the ones you want in your home but don’t be fooled. There are many problems with over-friendliness.
Overly friendly roommates will be agreeable just for the sake of keeping the peace and lack awareness about when it’s time to be serious. They may also frequently invite guests over without talking to their other roommates beforehand.
10. Pessimism
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Misery loves company.” Constant negativity or pessimism is pervasive, affecting other people and the vibe of the space as a whole.
Roommates who always see the worst in situations or other people can bring down the mood of everyone else. These individuals make communal living significantly less enjoyable.
11. Snooping
Did you have a younger sister who was always trying to read your diary? As an adult, you don’t want to live with a nightmare roommate who has the same problem!
A roommate who snoops into your belongings or personal matters can quickly become frustrating. This invasion of privacy is disrespectful and can destroy the foundation of trust that shared living requires.
12. Lack of Hygiene
The last thing you want is a smelly or dirty person in your clean home. Poor personal hygiene is not only gross, but it generally makes living together unpleasant for everyone.
Bad hygiene can also be reflected in the cleanliness of your space, especially in areas like the kitchen and bathroom. Dirty dishes or an unwashed toilet can even lead to health issues down the road.
Find Your Dream Roommate
You don’t have to settle for a dream roommate. Treat it like an online dating app and only “swipe right” on people who are agreeable, reliable, and optimistic about life. At the same time, do a self-assessment of your own quirks and behaviors. If you’re the nightmare roommate, it’s not too late to make a change!
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Alyssa Serio has been a writer and editor since graduating from Aurora University in 2014. In her free time, she loves reading, playing volleyball, and watching any horror movie (even the bad ones) with her husband.