Sharing a home with anyone can get frustrating at times, especially with people that are only connected to you by a lease agreement.

But certain subtleties regarding the lease agreement are what seemingly came in handy for redditor u/ShortStoryAttempted when dealing with roommates. The tenants were all moving out, which called for a much-needed deep cleaning, but the OP’s roomies didn’t bother too much. Luckily for the redditor, the security deposit was entirely in their name, which allowed the former to engage in malicious compliance.

Bored Panda has reached out to the OP and they were kind enough to answer a few of our questions. Scroll down to find our interview with them in the text below.

Cleaning is something to be discussed when sharing a home, as roommates might have different definitions of ‘clean’

Image credits: Liliana Drew (not the actual photo)

These roommates didn’t overdo it with cleaning, leaving the OP to “deep clean to their high example”

Image credits: Jason Leung (not the actual photo)

Image credits: CDC (not the actual photo)

Image credits: ShortStoryAttempted

The OP revealed the roommates never used to clean much

“I posted [on Reddit] out of frustration after they left the state moving out of Alaska,” the OP told Bored Panda, referring to the roommates from hell; cleanliness wise, at least. “[The home] was supposed to be clean before that, and the fact it was not pretty much set me off.”

“I was most annoyed by the fact that they didn’t sweep,” they added. “I’m allergic to cats, and the stray litter you naturally get from them is still on the floor. I was looking forward to not having to constantly wear shoes to avoid the itching I get on the bottom of my feet.”

The redditor shared that the roommates didn’t typically keep things clean, and because of the cat hair and constant smoke, nearly everything the OP owned was hidden away in a tiny closet.

“They left things all over the rest of the apartment,” they expanded. “For example, we had a folding table set up that I insisted on because I like to eat at a table; they would stack things on it so heavily that there simply wasn’t room.

“Plus, she liked to throw everything on her plate after eating into the sink and leave it for a week,” the redditor pointed out. “This includes food, trash, and cat food.” Needless to say, such conditions can easily be enough to push some tenants out of their dwelling or discourage them from living with roommates ever again.

Image credits: Wallace Chuck (not the actual photo)

Statistics suggest that having no more than one roommate is the best option

Living with roommates can be great, especially if you get along well, manage to cover household chores with no problem, and don’t make life difficult for each other in other ways. But far from every shared household is equipped with inhabitants of such compatibility, especially if there are more than two individuals involved.

The National Apartment Association (NAA) pointed out that, according to a 2021 survey, people living with one roommate seem to be the most content with their arrangement; nearly 49% of them said they were extremely satisfied with it. (Only roughly 1% were on the very end of the other side of the scale—extremely unsatisfied.) Nearly half of the respondents revealed they lived with one roommate, making it the most common option when sharing a home.

Even though Friends, The Big Bang Theory, and numerous other sitcoms show just how great life with roommates can be (despite an occasional disagreement here and there), the reality is often different. Take cleaning, for example; not every group of Friends has a Monica, who is eager to—maybe even obsessed with—clean, which means chores have to be shared, and that can become a problem.

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

It’s important to choose your roommates wisely

Well, to begin with, what people consider cleaning can be very subjective; for some it’s picking up the trash and quickly sweeping the floors, while for others it’s scrubbing each inch with a sponge. That’s why it’s best to discuss such matters before moving in together.

In a piece for The Atlantic, Susan Fee, a therapist and the author of My Roommate Is Driving Me Crazy!, suggested that expectations of cleanliness or handling disagreements are important topics to discuss when looking for potential roommates. Even though a roommate relationship is far from a romantic one, it can be beneficial to take a “pseudo-dating mindset”, she recommended, to see if the potential candidate could be a good match.

She also pointed out that conflicts and shortcomings of previous living situations can be good lessons to learn from when it comes to whom you would—or maybe more importantly wouldn’t—like to live with.

Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)

Cleaning seems to be the biggest problem when sharing a home

It’s probably not surprising that cleanliness-related matters are among the most annoying aspects of living with roommates. A survey carried out by Gocompare revealed that, among the Brits, at least, not cleaning up after themselves is the number one thing a person can do to aggravate their roomies; half of respondents admitted that that’s what drives them crazy.

Other annoying habits on the list include leaving lights and appliances switched on when not in use, not changing the toilet roll, leaving wet towels or dirty clothes wherever, not taking care of their part of the household chores, and leaving expired foods and packaging all over the place, among other things. To anyone who’s ever had to share a home, at least one—if not all—is likely to bring back some memories they might not call fond.

The National Apartment Association also found that cleanliness is the most problematic matter, as 37% of surveyees deemed it the top roommate pet peeve (followed by poor communication, violation of personal space, and being late with rent or utility payments). That goes to show that the OP is far from the only one who’s ever had to deal with someone else’s mess, which might be the reason why quite a few people in the comments had advice on how to go about it.

Image credits: Annushka Ahuja (not the actual photo)

The OP provided more details in the comments

Fellow redditors shared insight and advice

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