House share a hit with mates

House mates Nathan Kane, Jayme Schneider and Josh Comerford hang out on their deck.

Allan Reinikka

DESPITE sharing a house with four other young guys, Nathan Kane said the fights were usually few and far between.

A recent survey conducted by flat-sharing website EasyRoommate.com revealed this was common in share accommodation, with 66% of respondents were able to resolve any conflicts with fair and rational conversation.

Nathan said although they would sometimes annoy each other, most of the time he got along with his housemates.

“They mostly get annoyed at me over how long I shower for,” Nathan said.

Home to five men in their early twenties, the house is sure to get messy from time to time, as one house mate, Josh Comerford, has noticed.

“I’m probably the second-cleanest house mate,” Josh said.

Messy homes were a common conflict according to the survey, which revealed the top source of conflict was cleaning responsibilities, followed by bills and house party arrangements.

Although food-sharing arrangements rated low on the conflict scale, 78.1% of respondents still said they felt annoyed when a flatmate took food without asking.

Almost half the respondents said they had items of food mysteriously disappear only once a month, but an unfortunate 3.5% said it happened to them daily.

Radek Dobrolecki, director of EasyRoommate Australia, said the results were mostly positive.

“Everyone seems to have one or two negative stories, but overall the feedback we receive from our members is that the flat-sharing experience leads to cost savings, newfound friendships and fun experiences.”

Conflict zone

The biggest sources of conflict in shared homes from least conflict to most, are:

• Sexual orientation;
• Pets;
• Shower times;
• Food sharing arrangements;
• House guests;
• Sleepover arrangements for partners;
• House parties;
• Bills; and
• Cleaning responsibilities.