97 Horrible Roommates That Make A Cabin In The Dark Woods With No Electricity Seem A Good Option

The best way to avoid having to live with bad roommates is to notice their red flags in advance and never move in with them in the first place! But unfortunately, unless they leave an immediately awful first impression, you probably won’t find out about their nasty and selfish habits until you’re already living together.

Meanwhile, if you’re living in a college dorm, your roommate might be assigned to you randomly, so you don’t get to talk to the person before you’re already stuck with them. You’re not entirely powerless to have a good, working relationship with them, however.

One thing that you should do before moving in with anyone is to talk things out beforehand and actually set expectations and basic rules. Get a feel for each other’s schedules, lifestyles, hobbies, social lives, habits, and cleanliness levels, so that you can spot problems before they even pop up.

If you agree on certain boundaries and cleaning schedules ASAP, it’s easier to stick to them than to set them when you’re already arguing.

“It’s super important to talk not just about your personality, but about your habits and how you keep your living space and be completely honest. It’s better to find out now before you’re even on campus if there’s going to be any potential clashing between you two,” Her Campus emphasizes just how important upfront communication really is.

Rules, responsible behavior, and accountability are two-way streets, however. You have to put in the effort to be a good roommate, too.

“Remember the things that you talked about with your roommate before you moved in. This is why it’s important to be completely honest during your initial conversations because whatever you tell that person, they’re going to expect from you. Don’t tell them you go to bed at 1 am every night, and then try to ask them to turn their lights off by 8:30 pm when you actually move in. It’s your responsibility to be as great of a roommate to them as you expect them to be to you, so make sure you hold yourself accountable when you catch yourself slipping.”

No matter how much you plan for potential issues, you won’t see all of them coming. There will be uncomfortable surprises along the way. You’ll disagree over minor and major things. And you might get into serious arguments. The point is, there will be tension over things you can’t even imagine right now.

Ideally, you’ll tackle these problems head-on.

Open, honest, and clear communication, healthy boundaries, active listening, and a bit of empathy all go a long way. And even though they might feel uncomfortable at first, they’re far better than passive-aggressive behavior, snarky remarks, and constant frustration.

If you’re waiting for your problems to work themselves out, they probably won’t. Take responsibility for making your roommate situation better, whatever it is.

Meanwhile, don’t automatically assume that your roommate is being malicious. They might genuinely lack self-awareness. If it’s their first time living with someone else outside of their family home, they might not know how their habits and behaviors affect (read: annoy) strangers.

Moreover, you might have some blind spots about how your own behavior frustrates the people around you.

It helps if you tackle the issues that stress you out instead of attacking the people that cause them. It’s easier to look for opportunities to compromise or collaborate when neither side is being overly judgmental, defensive, or trying to ‘win’ the argument.

Your ultimate goal is, probably, living together with a tidy, kind, caring, supportive, and understanding roommate. That should be your goal, not making them feel bad over the mess they’ve made (even if they deserve it and should know better).

Meanwhile, if you just can’t seem to get through to your roommate from hell, reach out to someone to mediate the conflict. Maybe you can ask your dorm resident adviser or a college representative to step in as a neutral third party.

Alternatively, if even that doesn’t help, you may want to remove yourself from all the stress- and anxiety-inducing environment entirely. Look for an alternative dorm room where you can either live alone or with a decent roommate.

Meanwhile, if you’ve already graduated and are living in an apartment, talk to your landlord about potentially ending your lease early due to unforeseen circumstances.

Once you’ve upvoted the worst of the worst pics, share your personal experiences with bad roommates in the comments.

Who is the most nightmarish and outright toxic person you’ve ever ever had the ‘pleasure’ of living with? What were their worst habits? Did you manage to teach them self-awareness, or did you move out?

On the other hand, share your positive roommate stories, too! Who are the best roomies you’ve had? Let us know!