Sharing an apartment with someone can be an exciting experience. You may even end up living in the same place as someone whom you might have just met recently.

When you both want to create a comfortable living environment, you need to respect one another, and avoid friction and tension, so that the two of you will not end up fighting over the most common issues. Sharing a small space will mean you both have limited privacy. When you want to maintain the privacy with your roommate, try to consider these simple ways so both of you can avoid an unhealthy living environment.

It is sometimes common for one roommate to have more belongings than the other. There are times that their things may spill over now and then, especially when you are in a hurry to go out, get to work, or make it to class. To avoid this happening, both of you should keep your things to your rooms. Not only will it benefit you when arranging things, since you'll each have your own space, but it will also save you the headache of having your things mixed up with theirs. Respect each others privacy by keeping your things to yourself and not overlapping into their personal space. Keep your belongings in a place that is a part of your territory.

Follow the golden rule of shared living. Always ask permission from your roommate whenever you want to borrow something. It is one of the most common reasons for fights between roommates - when a roommate uses something that belongs to their roommate without asking permission. When you ask permission, it lets your roommate know that you respect them and their things.

While most roommates find it exciting to hang out with friends and show them how nice the apartment is, you should first tell your roommate about your plans. With the coming of unexpected visitors, it may interrupt whatever your roommate was doing beforehand, and make your roommate feel uncomfortable, even in their own home. Avoid this by letting your roommate know about your plan to have guests stop by, and make sure he is comfortable with that and ensure it will be  good timing. If not, try to find another place that you can have a get together. Remember, you have the same privileges to the place as your roommates, so be mindful that they might not want to have people in their space and treat them as you would want to be treated.

When it comes to enjoying quiet time, sharing a space can be difficult. Since both of you will likely have different schedules, your apartment will sometimes feel like it has a revolving door. When the two of you want to avoid distractions and noise or if you need some peace, schedule a “quiet hour” with your roommate. You can suggest to your roommate to choose at least one hour of the day where your place must be kept entirely silent so that studying, napping, or just relaxing can take place. Always remember to mark it down on the calendar so you both can enjoy quiet time.

Talking to your roommate can help ease the tension that happens in your space. Surprisingly, some roommates spend days of silence avoiding talking to one another. The reasons why roommates don’t talk may include a lack of commonalities, different schedules, or being more of a loner. You don’t have to be a good talker, nor do your conversations have to be long. It is just vital, however, to create a platform of comfortable conversation. Keep the communication flowing in the space. It will come easy when you have questions, issues, or concerns about anything about your living space. If you talk to your roommate, it is likely to create a comfortable living situation at one point or another.

Try to listen to your roommate whenever they open up and make suggestions regarding your living space. Roommates tend to feel more comfortable when they feel they are heard. When you listen, you will make your roommate feel like they are being respected.

Speaking of privacy, time, space, and everything in between, you must respect your roommate. Everyone has boundaries. When you live with someone, you will learn these things quickly. Respect your living space, your roommate and do your best not to cross any boundaries.

When you share a living space with someone who is in the same life situation as you, it’s best for you to find ways to keep the privacy between roommates.