Living with a roommate can be hard, especially if you don’t know them personally. But sometimes having a roommate is a necessity – either because you won’t be able to afford it on your own or you just want to save money. If you like Branson apartment living and decide to cohabitate with someone else, here are some simple tips that can help make sharing your apartment easy.

Keep Important Stuff Divided

When it comes to sharing an apartment, it’s important that both roommates know what things belong to each specific person. Purchases like hygiene products, snack items, and other personal items are things that belong to the person who bought them. It’s unethical to use your roommate’s toothpaste or eat his chocolate. But things like cleaning materials, laundry baskets, or hangers might be okay to share. Before an issue occurs, try to sit down together and decide what things are personal and what are communal.

Put Things Back

When you use something, put it back where it belongs. When you use a cleaning material that your roommate had bought to wipe up the table, put it back after you use it. For example, since the tv is considered communal, put the remote back in a proper place, rather than leave it laying somewhere your roommate won't be able to find it. When you have to get your roommate’s milk out of the fridge, in order to get something you want from behind it, be sure to put the milk back before closing the fridge.

Share Public Space

Since you have now committed to share your Branson apartment with a roommate, you should both share the public space areas within the unit. A bedroom is obviously considered a private space. If you have individual bathrooms, they’re considered private too. But the living room and the kitchens are public spaces, and therefore these should be treated as a communal area. Since the living room is public, you should avoid playing your music too loudly or leaving your things on the floor. If either of you wants to invite a friend for a visit, inform your roommate, or set the expectations for guests at move-in.

Be Considerate

When you live in a shared apartment, you need to consider your actions, such as leaving your empty cup in the living room or your shoes in the hall. Think about how you would feel if your roommate did the same thing. You might have the habit of leaving your dishes in the sink or waiting to put them in the dishwasher until the end of the day. You’d probably be annoyed if your roommate piled up dishes in the sink and left them there for hours.

Talk to Each Other

To make sure that you and your roommate continue to keep the peace while living in a shared apartment, it’s important for both of you to keep the lines of communication open. It will be hard to enjoy a good relationship with each other if you get upset with your roommate and keep your feelings bottled up inside. They may not even know they have upset you or done anything wrong. It’s always a good idea to talk to your roommate if you feel you’re annoyed with them and clear the air. Be sure to express your feelings in a healthy and gentle manner.

Make a furniture plan

Both you and your roommate should decide what each person will be bringing to the apartment , in the way of furniture and household goods. It can be hard to consolidate into one household if you each have belongings from a previous home, but it is important to downsize if you will be sharing a smaller space. 

If neither of you have the right piece for the small space, consider selling what you own and purchasing a more compact item for the small space you have. Then make a plan on how you will arrange the furniture – a good spot for every piece – which is sensible in maximizing space.

Cut down on collections

If you are a collector, you will need to be careful not to create clutter in your shared space. Sometimes you may need to pack some of your collection away, in order to have space for your roommate to display some of their belongings. 

Be willing to create and share storage space

Use some tricks and make your small space feel bigger. Create more storage space in your small apartment, so you can take advantage of it as soon as you move in. Install shelves above doors, drawers for tools under the cabinet, and more. Using shelves for each one might not work in a small space. It might work well if you store all items of one type in one spot, rather than use separate storage space for each one.

When you are enjoying the benefits of having a roommate in your Branson apartment, make sure to follow these simple tips, as they can help make sharing your apartment with a roommate easier.



Are you and a friend looking for a Branson apartment to move into? Thousand Hills Realty is Branson’s premier property management company and we are here to help! Call us today at (417) 337-8081 to find out what properties we have available for rent.