Roommate relationships can range from best friends to bitter enemies, and the way you follow house rules can make all the difference.

Recently, Reddit user Oompa_x_Lumpia turned to the platform’s ‘Petty Revenge‘ community to tell them about the dirty dish drama that she and the other two women she was living with found themselves in.

Even though nobody in her story sounds vile, it serves as a reminder that a little bit of extra consideration and empathy can go a long way.

Living together with other people requires everyone to treat each other as equals

Image credits: Bored Panda (not the actual photo)

As this ‘Petty Revenge’ story shows, some can forget that

Image credits: Alex Green (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Oompa_x_Lumpia

Household chores are a common disagreement among co-renters

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

How someone keeps their own room is up to them, but when they do not follow the mutual to-do list, their roommates notice it.

For example, of those renting with others in Australia, 51% reported having arguments with them.

The two most popular issues were the same age-old frustrations as the Redditor had been having with her gals – general cleanliness/tidiness (at 34%) and the division of chores (at 26%).

Quarrels and misunderstandings over money (paying the bills) were a problem for 13%, while noise and the sharing of common areas or possessions came next, annoying 12% of respondents.

Psychiatrist Dr. Fredric Neuman said he’s heard innumerable sad stories of roommates at odds with each other, and he believes it’s necessary for them to respect each other.

“It would be better if they like, or love, each other since living together puts a strain even on reasonable people,” Dr. Neuman explained.

“Do not keep close track of everything you do for your roommate with the expectation that every favor will be returned. Weighing every action on a scale leads invariably to someone feeling disadvantaged.”

So was that one slip-up really worth the fight? Maybe Nell could’ve offered to help and upped the ante only if the dirty sink had become a regular problem? After all, there were only a few small utensils.

As the post went viral, its author joined the discussion in the comments

The woman behind the post isn’t the only one who has found herself in such a situation

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