I live with several roommates. There have been issues. Someone new just moved in and she’s asking for a roommate meeting. Another new person asked for a meeting right when he moved in. We have never had a roommate meeting but have a group chat. When I moved in someone wrote my name without telling me on a complicated cleaning system that is written on the wall. It’s been my observation that some people still follow it, where as other people don’t even know it exists. Some people accused me of messing up the cleaning system, because I said I don’t want to clean bathrooms that I never use since I have my own in my bedroom (I pay more since I live in the master bedroom). Also people don’t seem to clean up after themselves, maybe because it’s not technically their turn on the cleaning schedule. But I think most people understand it’s implied to clean up after yourself. Like today I went to use the oven and found someone had been keeping his dirty dishes in it.
Regarding the shared bathrooms, I would like to occasionally use them. Like once every couple months. I had a friend who used one of the shared bathrooms without asking and my roommate got mad at me for it. I’m not OK with this.I told him I will make sure to clean up after myself/guest and he said I had already agreed not to use them. I’m hoping we can come to a compromise but I don’t consider it fair to clean it as much as people who use it 100x times more than me and aren’t careful in the first place.
What’s the best way to move forward? I’m skeptical of roommate meetings because in my experience the simpler the rules the better. How can I politely point out to a new person (and everyone else) that people are not following the same cleaning system? At the end of the day no one can force another to follow their cleaning system, and trying to do so will build resentment. However if some area is so messy it can’t be used (like the kitchen) that’s actually a breach of the lease with the landlord. We each have an individual leases with the landlord.
1 comment
This current “system” sounds like petty childish bullshit. Y’all need to grow the fuck up.
Why does it have to be any more complicated than…everybody’s got assigned tasks to keep common areas clean, but if somebody does something that causes a mess, just fuckin clean up after themselves? Yes, it requires that people hold themselves accountable, and if they can’t do that…then everybody gets to call them on it.