It’s become routine for young people to have roommates nowadays, mostly college students. It’s a cheap way to manage to pay bills, but at the same time, it can be a challenging experience living with a stranger. You may have different opinions on things such as cleanliness and other priorities.
This might be a possible channel for conflict and misunderstanding. On the other hand, there are situations where someone may be forced to deal with a lazy roommate who is simply unreasonable or disrespectful, making the living situation intolerable.
You find the sink overflowing with dirty dishes, a pile of dirty laundry, the carpet is filthy, and the house may have a strong and unpleasant stench. If this is the type of situation you always face, you are probably dealing with a lazy roommate, and it’s time for a change.
Here are some tips for dealing with a lazy roommate.
1) Talk to your roommate about issues you might have with them.
As the saying goes, a problem shared is a problem halved. Try to sit down and talk to them about the things they do that you do not like. Don’t go to sleep annoyed about a situation. If you see a problem, try and address it the same day.
Agreeing to talk about issues reduces the chances of both of you carrying resentment towards each other. If you don’t like how untidy they are, discuss it sensibly with them.
Being resentful towards each other can bring up a lot of serious problems between you and your roommate, such as aggressive behavior. If you pile up the anger and snap, you won’t be able to deal with the situation in a reasonable manner. That may lead to more problems than just a lazy roommate.
2) Divide the responsibilities
Even if your lazy roommate is terrible at keeping things tidy, there are some things they can do well, even if they’ll take a long time to complete. For example, you might be really good at cleaning the bathroom, but they aren’t, among other chores.
Therefore, it’s sensible if both of you come up with a routine where you divide responsibilities. Use the criteria of who’s good with what, and you’ll be able to share the responsibilities without much difficulty.
If you let them deal with things they’re good at, they’ll do better when it’s time for them to clean and tidy up different places. If you don’t like how the bathroom is cleaned, take over and clean it full-time. Let them be responsible for a chore you think they’ll be able to manage well.
3) Live up to the same standards you set for your roommate.
We can all agree that sometimes we have such high expectations of how we want people around us to act, but we don’t meet any of those expectations ourselves. You never think about your own mistakes, you just sweep them under the rug, but you’re quick to call your roommate lazy.
In order to ensure you are being reasonable, take an honest look at yourself and your character to see if you’re everything you want your lazy roommate to be. If you’re doing all the things you want them to do right, then it’s okay if you consider correcting them.
However, if you aren’t living up to the standards you’re trying to set, you need to learn how to be more forgiving and understanding in the long run.
If you feel like there’s room for growth on your end, make sure to read our helpful tips that will stop you from being lazy
4) Consider getting professional cleaning services if you can afford them.
When it gets too hard to keep cleaning after your lazy roommate, it’s advisable to hire a cleaning service. Both of you could chip in and hire cleaners to do all the heavy work for you.
This will help you by taking the responsibilities off your shoulders. It will also save both of you from frequently disagreeing.
5) If you’re living with someone who is close to you, like a good friend or family member, set your boundaries.
Staying with your close friend or family as a roommate can be particularly challenging. This is because they consider you to be their friend and don’t expect you to bring certain things up. If your lazy roommate is your best friend or a family member, they might be more careless and not take you seriously at all.
It’s a tricky situation, but you need to discuss it with them, so they will understand that you value your friendship and you do not intend to ruin it. Afterward, follow up by explaining that you have noticed you aren’t happy with the living situation.
You are the one who knows your friend better, so take the conversation in a direction that might not make them angry. Have a decent conversation and come up with different solutions.
6) Find out what’s triggering their behavior.
Psychological problems might make people unproductive and lose interest in most activities. Your roommate might be depressed or going through some other mental issues, and they haven’t opened up about it.
Find a way to start a conversation and let them know that you’ve noticed some changes in their behavior. Ask your roommate if something is bothering them, tell them you’ve noticed they’re looking more stressed than usual.
Getting to the root of the problem after they open up is something that you will both benefit from. Your roommate will get help, and you won’t worry about their last behavior anymore.
Check out our article that will help you find the reasons behind their laziness.
7) Try using jokes to get the message home.
Sometimes all the reasonable means of communication might not work with your lazy roommate. They might not notice how overbearing they’re becoming by not helping with anything.
Try passing the message across using a joke; this might be helpful in making them understand that you genuinely are not happy with what’s going on.
