Let's discuss resolving housemate conflicts and maintenance

Living together can be both exciting and challenging. During your time in university accommodation, you may have created a shared living agreement with your housemates to establish ground rules. Carrying forward this practice in private housing can help foster a harmonious environment and prevent potential conflicts.

Establishing boundaries and clear expectations from the start is crucial.

Arrange an evening with your housemates and use the following guide to discuss how you plan to live together:

Personal space and belongings

Living in private housing may differ from university-managed accommodation. For instance, bedroom doors may not have locks.

• Discuss personal space needs, such as quiet hours, private time, and shared areas, and agree on boundaries, for example not entering each other's rooms without permission.
• Agree to keep your bedrooms clean and safe, including regularly removing waste.
• Decide that food, drinks, or belongings won’t be used without the owner's permission.

Shared spaces

• Discuss expectations for cleaning shared spaces, managing noise levels, and using common items like kitchen appliances or bathroom facilities.
• Allocate storage space practically, such as assigning a shelf in the fridge and a dedicated cupboard for each person.
• Discuss a chore chart or divide responsibilities based on preferences and availability. Regularly review the arrangement to ensure it works for everyone.
• Agree on responsibilities for sorting, removing, and putting out bins for collection.

Guests

• Check your tenancy agreement for guest policies.
• Decide whether housemates should get permission before inviting overnight guests or hosting gatherings. Remember housemates should take responsibility for their guests' behaviour.
• No pets or animals should be brought into the property without unanimous agreement from housemates and the landlord.

Noise

• Review your tenancy for noise restrictions and agree on quiet times for weekdays and weekends.

Financial Responsibilities

• Agree to divide bills equally or find a fair arrangement.
• Assign responsibility for utilities like gas, electricity, water, wi-fi, and contents insurance.
• Decide how to share costs for items like light bulb replacements and smoke detector batteries.
• Discuss how to manage heating and hot water usage

Sometimes it’s helpful to have all these agreements written down and shared. It ensures everyone knows what to expect and holds each other accountable. This will also make it is easier to bring up if anything is causing conflict. If you and your new housemates want to use a similar version of that which was used in University of Bath Managed Accommodation, please download the PDF below.

Living with housemates is a great opportunity to form meaningful connections and create a positive, supportive living environment.

Here are a few ideas to help you build your community:

1. Share Meals Together

Agree on a day to cook and eat together, rotate who cooks, or make it a group effort. It’s a great way to bond and share different recipes or cuisines.

2. Create shared activities

Set a date for a board game marathon, video game session, or watching a movie or TV series together. Or you could start a house hobby like gardening, yoga, baking, crochet, or even a book club for shared downtime.

3. Travel together

Consider walking, cycling together or catching the bus together to campus. For longer distances or for supermarket trips you could catch the bus together. You could also coordinate travel with a housemate who drives or share a taxi to split costs.

4. Celebrate events together

Mark Special Occasions and celebrate birthdays, holidays and your housemates' achievements (big or small). Decorate the house together for festive occasions or just for fun!

Living with others can sometimes lead to disagreements or misunderstandings. While these situations can be challenging, they’re often manageable with proactive, respectful, and open communication.

Here are some practical tips to help address common housemate conflicts and maintain a harmonious living environment:

• Initiate a calm discussion: Address issues early on rather than letting them escalate. Choose a good time to talk when all parties are calm and open to listening. If the conversation starts getting heated, take a break and come back to it when everyone is calm.
• Avoid passive-aggressive behaviour: Address issues directly rather than bottling up your feelings or using indirect methods (like leaving notes or giving silent treatment).
• Be honest but respectful: Express your feelings using "I" statements rather than "You" statements (e.g., "I feel frustrated when..." instead of "You always..."). This prevents the conversation from sounding like an accusation.
• Listen actively: Give your housemate the opportunity to share their feelings. Listen without interrupting and try to understand their perspective.
• Find win-win solutions: Compromise on the issues at hand. Sometimes, you may need to adjust your expectations or routines to accommodate your housemate’s needs.
• Be flexible: If a certain issue can’t be resolved immediately, agree on a temporary solution and revisit it later.
• Know when to involve a mediator: If the situation is too tense or issues continue unresolved, consider involving a neutral third party to facilitate a fair discussion.

If you want some advice on what is reasonable, or if communication breaks down, you can get support from Student Support.

Living in a shared student house can present unique challenges when it comes to managing energy consumption and keeping bills low, especially if you have several people living under one roof.

Here are some practical tips to help reduce energy usage and save on bills:

✅ Switch to LED bulbs: They use a fraction of the energy of incandescent bulbs and last much longer.

✅ Switch off lights and appliances: When leaving a room, make sure all lights, TVs, and other electronics are turned off. Electronics and chargers left plugged in consume energy even when not in use. Unplug them or use a power strip to switch off multiple devices at once.

✅ Set the thermostat wisely: In winter, set your thermostat to 18-21°C when you're home, and lower it (12°C to 15°C) when you're out or sleeping. Instead of cranking up the heat, wear warm clothes or use blankets. Check your tenancy agreement, as some tenants are required to maintain a 'reasonable temperature' in the property—clarify this obligation with your landlord to avoid misunderstandings.

✅ Wash clothes in cold water: Cold washes are just as effective and save the energy required to heat the water.

✅ Take shorter showers: Shorter showers save water and reduce energy bills.

✅ Cover pots and pans: When cooking, cover them to retain heat and reduce cooking time.

✅ Cook in batches: Cooking multiple meals at once can help you reduce the number of times you need to use the oven or stove.

✅ Use the microwave: When cooking, use a microwave or toaster oven instead of the big oven, as they are more energy-efficient for small meals.

✅  Use an air fryer: Air fryers are smaller than ovens so heating them is bother quicker and more energy efficient, making them a great alternative for individual or small meals and snacks.

Introducing The Student Community Partnership

The Student Community Partnership (SCP) is a joint venture between the Higher Education Institutions in Bath and the B&NES Council to improve the relationship between long-term and student residents living in Bath – Our Shared City.

The Student Community Partnership encourages positive interactions between student residents and permanent residents living in the community of Bath and ensures both voices are heard and supported accordingly.

The SCP team is based in the city and on hand to provide support and advice on waste and recycling, issues with your landlord, noise disputes with neighbours, volunteering in the community and overall community awareness.

The SCP campaigns for student safety, sustainability and improving housing quality for students.

The SCP is here to support students living in private sector accommodation, as well as

to help build a sense of community. You can contact them for assistance by emailing community-liaison@bath.ac.uk. Throughout the academic year, you may also see SCP members visiting popular student areas in Bath to introduce themselves. They are a valuable resource, working closely with the University to offer support and build community.

Living safely in shared accommodation requires being mindful of your surroundings, securing your belongings, and maintaining a safe environment for yourself and your housemates.

Here are some essential tips for ensuring safety:

• Lock Doors and Windows: Always lock doors and windows when leaving the house, even if you’re just stepping out briefly. Ensure that all entry points are secure, including back doors and ground-floor windows.
• Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms: Test them monthly and replace batteries when necessary.
• Be Cautious with Appliances: Always turn off ovens and other appliances after use, and ensure the kitchen is tidy to avoid any hazards. This also applies to personal electrical items such as hair straighteners.
• Never Overload Electrical Sockets: Avoid plugging in too many devices into a single socket to prevent electrical fires.
• Be Careful with Cooking: Always supervise cooking. Don’t leave hot hobs or appliances unattended. Keep flammable materials like paper towels and dish cloths away from the oven hob. Unattended cooking can lead to fires.
• Candles and incense: Don’t use candles, incense or other flammable items in the property (often prohibited in the tenancy agreement) and do not leave them unattended if used.
• Keep communal areas and hallways free from obstruction: This will ensure safe exit at all times.
• Be careful before inviting people who don’t know well back to your accommodation.
• Avoid walking home alone late at night and keep to busy and well-lit ares. Be aware of the #GotYaBack campaign and look out for each other. Travel home together and don't leave anyone behind - unless you've agreed to a change of plan first.
• Avoid walking near the river at night: Use the Student Partnership River Safety Map to follow the safest routes. Download it here
• Avoid using unlicensed taxis. If you are unable to get home look into the University's Safe Taxi Scheme.

Keeping a shared house clean requires communication, cooperation, and effort from all housemates. Making sure you are on top of the cleaning is important for health, safety, and your well-being. Regular cleaning reduces the risk of illness, prevents accidents, promotes productivity, and creates a welcoming atmosphere. When discussing your expectations around chores and how to divide the work consider what needs to be done and how often.

Daily cleaning

✅ Wash dishes after each meal to prevent buildup.

✅ Wipe down after food preparation or spills.

Weekly cleaning

✅ Bathrooms: clean toilet, shower, and tub, scrub sinks, and wipe mirrors.

✅ Kitchen: clean the hob, microwave, and fridge handles. Wipe down all kitchen surfaces. Check for expired or spoiled food and clean shelves.

✅ Floors: vacuum carpets and rugs, mop hard floors.

✅ Dusting: dust furniture, shelves, and light fixtures.

✅ Waste and Recycling: empty all bins in shared spaces and bathrooms. Declutter: tidy up any clutter in shared spaces.

✅ Declurer: Tidy up any clutter in shared spaces.

Monthly cleaning

✅ Windows & mirrors

✅ Wipe down oven interior and exterior.

✅ Run a cleaning cycle on the washing machine.

✅ Clean the filter and wipe down the interior of dishwasher

Food safety:

Keep perishable items in the refrigerator, store raw meats and fish separately to prevent cross-contamination, always use airtight containers to protect against spoilage and contamination. Remember to dispose of food if they expire or spoil.

Managing household waste is an essential part of settling into your new home!

Know your collection day

The easiest way is look at when your neighbours put their waste out (a technique much used by Bath residents) and do likewise. Know your neighbours and ask them about collection days they will be happy to advise.

Alternatively, Bath Council list the collection days for different roads in your neighbourhood on their website.

Make sure you find a sensible place to put your bin out, taking special care that is doesn’t block the pavement or access for others.

Know your bins

To sort your rubbish successfully the council have provided separate bins for recycling, food waste and general waste.

Click here for more information on what goes in each bin and to order a recycling bin, click here. 

Fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is leaving waste at any location that is not your bin. It is illegal to fly tip and you could be fined by B&NES and referred to the police or University for disciplinary action.

For further guidance and support on how to manage your waste and recycling contact the Student Community Partnership community-liaison@bath.ac.uk.

Your landlord is responsible for providing a property that is a safe and healthy environment for you to live in. They must do anything your tenancy agreement says they have to do and are generally responsible for:

• The structure and exterior (walls, roof, foundations, drains, guttering and external pipes, windows and external doors)
• Basins, baths, toilets and their pipework
• Water and gas pipes, electrical wiring, water tanks, boilers, radiators and gas fires
• Electric fires or fitted heaters

You should report anything that needs repairing as soon as you notice it. If you report it over the phone, follow it up in writing on an email.

You must let the landlord or their contractor in to do the work and you should get 24 hours notice (except in an emergency).

Contact Bath and North East Somerset council if your landlord refuses to complete repairs or fix conditions within a reasonable time period.

Read Shelter’s advice on what your landlord is responsible for and how long do they have to do the repairs.

Boiler Not Working? 

Report it to your landlord/letting agent in writing. Repairs need to be completed in a reasonable time frame.

• Emergency repairs which affect your health or safety: 24 hours (for example, a major electrical fault, or a blocked WC)
• Urgent repairs which affect your comfort: five working days (for example, hot water, heating or fridge failure or a serious roof leak)
• Other non-urgent repairs: 20 working days (for example, a shower breaking down, when you are still able to take baths)

If your landlord refuses to complete repairs or fix conditions in your home, report it to Bath & North East Somerset Council (B&NES)

How To Avoid Damp and Mould

Damp and mould issues aren’t nice to deal with. Avoid issues by...

1. Opening curtains every day, and small windows and trickle vents regularly
2. Dry clothes outside where possible and reduce water vapour (lids on saucepans)
3. Leave some background heating on throughout the day in cold weather
4. Wipe away condensation, or existing mould using a HSE approved fungicidal wash or diluted bleach solution. Always follow the manufacturers’ guidelines.
5. To help reduce moisture in the air, you may consider using disposable dehumidifiers, which are available online at an affordable price.

Structural issues are your landlord’s responsibility (leak, rising damp or lack of supplied ventilation).

If this is what is causing the damp/mould, contact your landlord/letting agent asap.

If issues are not improving, contact the BathNES Housing Standards and Improvement team using their online form.

When you move into private accommodation, you become a member of the community where you live. Forming a friendly rapport can also create a sense of security.

To be a good member of the community:

• Take a moment to introduce yourself. Try a simple hello and exchange of names in passing or you could put a note through the door introducing yourselves.
• Smile and greet your neighbours when you see them.
• Keep the front of your accommodation, like driveways and gardens well maintained and tidy.
• Avoid leaving bins overflowing. Keep to the collection schedule and bring the bins back in once they have been emptied.
• Be considerate about parking, including if you have visitors. Make sure you don’t block driveways or entrances and you stick to designated parking areas.
• Always be mindful of the noise you’re making, especially late at night. By law, noise must be kept at a reasonable level between 11pm and 7am. This applies not only in your neighbourhood but also in surrounding areas when returning home during these hoursRefrain from excessive noise or disruptive behaviour at all hours.
• Refrain from excessive noise or disruptive behaviour at all hours.
• If you’re hosting a gathering or event, let them know in advance, and keep noise reasonable.
• If a problem arises, discuss it directly and politely rather than avoiding the issue or escalating it.

Unfortunately, there may be times when people encounter residents who are not supportive of students, and tensions can arise. If you experience any issues with your neighbours, you can reach out to the Student Community Partnership (SCP) for support.