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78 Roommate Stories That Prove You Don’t Really Know Someone Until You Share A Home
Roommates, almost more than anything else, can make or break one’s housing arrangement. No matter how good the location, amenities or spaciousness, if your roommate is a pain in the rear, there is no getting around it.
So in case you think your living arrangements are annoying, complicated or just downright irritating, we’ve gathered some examples of the worst roommates folks have described across the internet. Get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own examples in the comments below.
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#1
My Roommate Trashed My House To Get To Her Food
Elladine DesIsles 6 hours ago
I have a couple of roommates like this! I have to say, they are cleaner and less irritable than my teenager.
RELATED:
#2
Roommate Borrowed My Book, Gave It Back Folded Like Origami
Upstaged75 7 hours ago
I fold down a page with my own books sometimes (not like this though, just to mark my place), but I would never crease something that I borrowed!
#3
The Way My Roommates Make Beef Jerky/Dehydrated Beef
Before diving into the horror stories, it helps to know just how many people are living out their own versions of them. Roommates are far from a rare breed. A Zillow analysis from 2018 found that 30 percent of American adults lived with either a roommate or a parent, up eight percentage points since 2000. Zillow calls these doubled up households, meaning working age adults sharing a home who are not married or in a relationship, and the share has been climbing since the late 1990s, when just 23 percent of adults lived that way.
In Los Angeles the number crept close to 50 percent, with Riverside and Miami also near the top of the list. Those happen to be some of the priciest rental markets in the country, which says plenty about why so many people end up sharing a kitchen with someone they barely know.
#4
Roommates Who Have A Cute Way Of Paying The Rent Are Fun But Also Infuriating
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 hour ago (edited)
This is hilarious in a movie or TV show. It is not funny at all IRL. Even if roommate earned all of this money as a pile of $1 bills, they can go to any bank and have them changed into larger bills. If they didn't want to talk to a teller (hey, I understand) they can use an ATM to deposit all of these $1 bills and withdraw it back out as larger bills. EDIT: My family owns a housecleaning service and occasionally a customer pays in cash, in a pile of $1 bills. We've had customers pay a $220 housecleaning in $1 bills. I had to count it by hand. It is infuriating XD
#5
Came Back To My College Apartment This Morning With My Roommates Having Done This
#6
An Absurd Post In A Roommate Finder Group
Upstaged75 7 hours ago
Tell me you're too cheap to pay for a caregiver for your son with special needs.....
Age plays a big role too. Researchers at Bowling Green State University dug into American Community Survey data and found that most single adults aged 18 to 24 who had moved out of their parents' homes were living with a roommate. By ages 25 to 29, about two in five were still sharing while another two in five had landed a place of their own.
#7
Roommate Accidentally Bought Paper Towels Instead Of Toilet Paper..so This Was His Solution
Upstaged75 7 hours ago
Roommate is going to responsible for the plumber's bill after they wreck the pipes with paper towels!
#8
I Now Need To Keep My Hygiene Products In A Mini Locker Because My Roommate Is A Klepto
#9
My College Roommate Sets Our Thermostat To 80°F (26°C) Every Single Night
The pattern varied by background, with 65 percent of single Asian adults aged 18 to 24 living with roommates, the largest share of any group. Even so, the arrangement does not vanish once the twenties are over. The National Association of Home Builders reported that 7.5 percent of adults aged 25 to 34 lived with unrelated roommates in 2016, nearly double the 4 percent recorded back in 1990.
#10
Roommate Eats Only The Breadsticks And Leaves The Nutella Untouched
#11
My New Dorm Roommate Sleeps With A Ridiculously Bright Nightlight. Barely Got Any Sleep Last Night Because Of It. This Is What It Looks Like When I Turn The Main Light Off
Upstaged75 6 hours ago
You need to have a talk. Living in the dorms means learning to compromise. You're not at home anymore.
#12
Roommate Locked Thermostat, Sweating Every Night With No Way Turn It Down
Nor is this just an American quirk. In Canada, the 2021 census showed that households made up of roommates were the fastest growing household type, even though they still accounted for only 4 percent of all households there. So if you have ever stared at a sink full of someone else's dishes and felt like the only person on Earth suffering, rest assured that people across borders are glaring at their own sinks right now.
#13
My Roommate Made Himself Dinner Late Last Night, This Is How I Found The Stove This Morning
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 hour ago
jfc. I have 6 cats and just looking at this made my insides crawl with fear.
#14
My Roommates Girlfriend Has A Habit Of Leaving Her Dirty Panties On Top Of The Faucet After She Showers
#15
Roommate Is Treating The Common Area As His Own Room
Not everyone is thrilled about the whole setup, of course. A January 2026 survey from Apartments.com found that 39 percent of U.S. adults say they would never be comfortable with a roommate, a figure that rose to 44 percent among women. Only 22 percent of respondents said shared living is acceptable at any age, so apparently there is an unofficial expiration date on the roommate years.
#16
How About “My Body, My Choice”
#17
Roommate Is Throwing Out Dishes Instead Of Washing Them. Not Good
#19
The State My Roommates Leave The Kitchen In. Not One Thing In The Pic Is Mine
#20
Props To The New Roommate For Cleaning The Whole Kitchen, But She Scrubbed The Microwave Oven So Hard, All The Ink Came Off The Dials
#21
Roommates Rice Cooker Has Turned Into Brain-Like Tissue. He Refuses To Clean It, And Leaves It On The Shared Kitchen Counter
Upstaged75 6 hours ago
Throw it out. In a outdoor dumpster so the roommate can't take it out of the trash can.
Among those who are open to the idea, about a third of 18 to 34 year olds see roommates as a way to fund big goals like buying a home or starting a family. Privacy still wins the day in the end, though. Just 5 percent said they would share a studio or one bedroom with a roommate, and 24 percent said that if they had to share, they would rather live with family in a multigenerational home than with unrelated housemates.
#22
Our Roommate Moved Out Today…. All Of Those Stains Are Dog Urine
#23
Roommate Threw Away A Tub Of My Ice Cream Because There Was “Mold On It”. This Was The Picture He Sends Me
#24
How Far Will The Tally Go?
Kabuki Kitsune 3 hours ago
At a glance, zooming in... it doesn't look like said pain is actually dirty. To be perfectly fair, not everyone puts pans in cupboards after they're washed out. Especially if it's a pan that is used regularly.
So what actually drives people up the wall? Surprisingly, it is not always money. In a Rent.com survey of 1,900 renters conducted during the pandemic, poor cleaning habits were the top pet peeve for 37 percent of respondents, while only 7.1 percent named a roommate who pays rent or utilities late. Women were more bothered by messes than men, at 40.7 percent compared with 32.9 percent.
#25
When You Have To Have This Much Back And Forth About The Toilet Paper, One Of You Is Probably The Bad Roommate
#26
My Roommate Likes To Put Things In Jars So They Won't Take Too Much Space In The Fridge. At Least She Keeps The Label, I Guess
#27
Roommate Using The Air Fryer To Dry Random Sticks And Gumballs 😒
That suggests a crusty frying pan abandoned on the stove can irritate people far more than an overdue payment ever will. The same survey also noted that people with just one roommate were extremely satisfied, which hints that fewer cooks in the kitchen may be the secret to a peaceful home.
#30
Evict This Person Now
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 hour ago
This is a crime against the best peanut butter on the planet. I am outraged >:O (disclaimer: your opinion of peanut butter brands may vary. Jif is what I was raised on, as it's the brand my mom always bought, thus in my opinion it is the food of the gods and the best peanut butter ever to exist.)
Of course, cleanliness is only the tip of the iceberg. Wait until you meet the roommates below, who took the dirty dish to dizzying new heights and committed plenty of offenses that no survey thought to ask about. Whether you are currently sharing walls with someone or simply remember it all too well, brace yourself, because things are about to get messy.
#31
My Roommate Doesn't Put His Leftovers In Containers Either
Daisydaisy 3 hours ago
Honestly I would rather live in a small tent in a paddock somewhere than with these disgusting people!
#32
My Roommate Never Finishes A Roll Before Starting Another
#33
How My Roommate Has Been Using The Aluminum Foil For The Last Week
#34
Just Scrubbed The Stove Spotless, Roommate Immediately Does This And Leaves
#36
My Roommate Left Half A Raw Onion In The Fridge Last Night, So Now Guess What Everything Tastes Like
#37
My Roommate Drinks The Brine Leaving The Rest To Dry Out
Janissary35680 1 hour ago
Whenever there's leftover or excess pickling brine I save it in another jar for use later. In this case though I'd have to hide the jar.
#38
My Roommate Used Some Of My Veggies And Instead Of Putting The Tomato In A Bag And Sealing Up The Lettuce. She Did This
#39
My Roommate Is Making Alcohol In Our Room And It Has A Very Strange Smell
#40
Roommate Broke The Toilet Seat. No Worries Though. He Replaced It
#41
My Roommate Can’t Read
#43
The Way My Roommate Refills Our Ice Trays
Janissary35680 1 hour ago
Those look like cubes that have been left at the back of the freezer for a very, very long time.
#44
My Ex-Roommate, After 2 Months Of Leaving Piles Of Stuff At My Place, Finally Returns To Pick It Up
#45
My Roommate Bites Her Butter Then Drops It On The Pan When She Cooks
#46
Facebook Cb Wants Roommate To Pay More Rent Because She Makes More
#47
This Girl Took Her Roommate's Mercedes On An 86+ Hour Roadtrip
Upstaged75 6 hours ago
You are a massive a-hole! He should have reported it stolen and had you arrested.
#48
My Roommate Uses My Towels To Wipe Her Makeup Off
#49
Roommate Spray Painted The Toilet Seat And Lid I Don't Know Why
Anya Sylver Foxx 3 hours ago
I'd be more concerned about the dude wipes. Those will destroy your plumbing.
#51
When My Roommates Take Out The Trash, Don't Put A New Lining, And Throw Trash In The Can Anyway
#52
How Dirty My Roommate Keeps His Car
#53
My Roommate Spent Her Paycheck Too Fast Again, So I Offered To Get Us Liquor. It Devolved Into This
#54
When My Roommate Eats Fruit Snacks He Puts The Empty Wrappers Back In The Box With The Full Ones
#55
The Way My Roommate Can Never Finish A Water
Upstaged75 6 hours ago
My brother does this. It drives his wife (and the rest of us) crazy. I saw something recently about it being an ADHD trait. We both have it but I've never done that. 🤷♀️ Yes, I know everyone expresses it differently - especially men and women.
#56
I Bought A 4 Pack Of Ritz. My Roommate Did This. Seriously?
#57
Was Wondering Why The Soda Was Flat The Morning After I Bought It, Turns Out My Roommate Doesn't Know How To Close Bottles
#58
It Was My Roommate's Turn To Buy Toilet Paper
#60
My Roommate Is The Worst Kind Of Person
#61
My Girlfriends Roommate Refuses To Take Her TV Remote Out Of The Packaging To Preserve The "Value" Of The TV
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 hour ago
My mother will do this. She also won't peel the protective stickers off of any device/item that has screens on it.
#64
How My Roommate Leaves The Paper Towel Roll. Every. Time
#65
My Roommate Left Me The Last Piece Of Cake I Made
#66
My Roommate Takes Forever To Do Any Dishes, Despite Us Having A Fully Functioning Dishwasher. The Kitchen Sink Has Looked Like This For Weeks
#67
Roommate Always Uses Metal Utensils In Non Stick Pans....they're All Ruined
#70
Roommate Is Using My Hulu To Watch The Game Making Me Not Able To Watch It, I Never Gave Him The Log In
ABC NoThirteen FUCKCENSORISM! 2 hours ago
Change password, disconnect all devices, done. I don't see the problem.
#71
My Roommate Places All Her Trash She Plans To “Recycle” On The Kitchen Floor, Yet Will Leave It There For Weeks Until Someone Else Takes It Out
#72
How My Roommates Treated My Handmade Wooden Spoon My Father Made For Me
#73
My Side Of The Room vs. My Roommate's Side
Upstaged75 6 hours ago
First time at college and has never had to pick up after themselves before. Pathetic.
#76
Cb Gets So Mad About Roommate Buying Store Brand Garbage Bags That She Felt The Need To Come To A Fb Group For Advice
#77
Got My Favorite Kind Of Ice Cream, A Half Gallon Of Vanilla Bean Blue Bell. I Got One Bowl Out Of It. My Roommates Kids Got Ahold Of It. Came Home, This Is What I Have Left
Upstaged75 6 hours ago
They need to replace it for you. And next time hide it inside a bag of frozen veggies so the kid won't find it. 😂
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What do you think ?
Jennifer Foster 6 hours ago
How about " All of the above?" I'd move our for persistent use of any one of those inconsiderate habits.
Jennifer Foster 6 hours ago
How about " All of the above?" I'd move our for persistent use of any one of those inconsiderate habits.
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