Roommate Agreements: What to Update for the New Semester

By Garth Brunner

The start of a new semester means more than just new classes. A new semester is a clean slate that allows you to shape the rest of the school year into something that works for you. This includes spring cleaning, better study habits, and provides a good opportunity to update your roommate agreement.

Roommate agreements allow you and your roommate or roommates to be on the same page when it comes to your housing. Think of it a little bit like the house rules! An entire semester has passed since you initially created it, which means it might be a little out of date. Some living habits you only discover after having experienced them for a few months, or your expectations might be different if you are anticipating your classes to ramp up in difficulty.

Take some time to sit down with your roommates so you can go over your roommate agreement and see what you need to update for the new semester.

Conflict Resolution

A roommate agreement dictates how you and your roommate will resolve conflicts. Everyone relies on different types of resolution, whether it’s open and direct communication or involving a neutral third party to get an outsider’s opinion. This can include an RA or an acquaintance in one of the classes that can give you a fair and unbiased view.

Even if you and your roommate are best friends and as close as can be, conflicts are inevitable when you are sharing a tight space with someone. Having an agreement written down that you can refer to allows for these to be handled as they happen, rather than letting them grow and build until one of you blows up at the other and ruins a good thing.

Use this as a precious resource to work through conflicts as openly as possible.

Guest Policy

One common update students make to their roommate agreement is their guest policy. If you need to focus on your studies from the comfort of your own dorm this semester, you might want to limit guests or how long they can stay. On the other hand, if you have a new partner, you might want to extend that policy.

A guest policy does not only revolve around how long guests can stay, but also what they can do when in your space. While they’ll likely need to use the restroom at some point, are you comfortable allowing guests in the shower or sleeping in your bed if you’re out of town? Think about what you are comfortable with, considering people that you may not know very well using your spaces, so that you can properly update your roommate agreement.

Regardless of what it is you want, you need to talk it through and decide on something fair for both you and your roommate. If you both want the same things, perfect! Update the roommate agreement accordingly. If your opinions differ, try to find some kind of compromise, such as only overnight guests on the weekends. This will be true for everything when updating your roommate agreement. Your dorm or apartment is supposed to be a safe space for everyone, not just you.

Cleanliness

You don’t realize how difficult it can be to stay clean until you have already lived on your own. A difficult classload can make that even harder. When you’re swamped with homework and exams, the last thing you want to do is pick up a broom. If you’re expecting long and hard hours studying this semester, it might be time to update your cleanliness rules in your roommate agreement. You should always pick up after yourself, but you may consider splitting other tasks in a different way that ensures everything is still clean, such as cleaning the bathroom.

Even if it isn’t your top priority, it should still be at the top of your list. Keeping things clean positively impacts both your mental and physical health.

Shared Items

Due to the recent holiday, you may have gotten new appliances or items to use around your dorm. Because of this, it is important to update your roommate agreement regarding what items you are both comfortable sharing. For example, you’re happy to share your coffee maker, but you might want to keep your pots and pans to yourself if you’re on a different diet than your roommate, such as vegan or gluten-free. Cross-contamination can be very serious, so if anything like this applies to you, make it known and update your roommate agreement accordingly.

In any case, if you don’t want your roommate to use or touch certain items, you need to make it known. Your roommate can’t follow a rule if they don’t know about it!

A new semester is the perfect time to update your roommate agreement so that everyone living together can be in sync with one another. Take time to speak to each other and put together something that works for you that you can utilize as a great tool if conflict happens to arise.