20 Signs Your Roommate Hates You (and it’s All Your Fault)

Living with a roommate is major work. You might be annoying your roommate by doing things you don’t even realize are aggravating. It’s important to be considerate of the feelings of others, even if they’re vastly different from your own. If for no other reason than the fact that you’re literally sharing a home — a place where you’ll spend a good amount of your time — with this person. You might as well try to get along, right?

If you really want to be a good roommate, these are the habits you need to break.

1. You’re Home 24/7

This might not seem like a big deal to you, but it’s important to give your roommate their privacy. Even if you two are actual friends, it’s healthy to have time apart. You might want to consider finding a hobby that takes you out of the house.

2. You Let Your Sticky Notes Do the Talking

If you have an issue with your roommate, it’s best to come right out and say it. When you leave passive-aggressive notes, it often just causes more tension between you and your roommate. Just be honest, and they’ll be more willing to listen.

3. You Never Clean

Pick up a broom or a vacuum from time to time. Don’t let your apartment get to the point where you start keeping count of the times you’ve seen that crushed Cheerio by the refrigerator. By that point, your roommate has already noticed and is complaining about you to their friends.

4. You Leave a Trail

If you’re finished with your drink, place the glass in the sink. If not, don’t start using another glass. When you leave dirty dishes (or half-empty water bottles, which we’re all guilty of) all over the apartment, it gives off the impression that you don’t take cleanliness very seriously.

5. You Ignore the Trash Pile Sitting Next to the Trash Can

Just take out the trash. It doesn’t matter if you took it out the last five times; it’s the right thing to do. It’s always better to be the nice (and clean) roommate than be the one everyone else has to clean up after.

6. You Don’t Replace the Toilet Paper Roll

It’s fairly simple: if the toilet paper runs out on your watch, it’s your responsibility to put a new roll on the dispenser. In fact, even if it looks like you’re going to run out soon, run to the store and pick some up. Your roommate will thank you.

7. You Pig Out (on Their Food)

If your roommate bought food, it means they intended to eat it. So if you eat all their Oreos, you can imagine why they might get upset. Either buy your own or replace the food that you eat.

8. Your Partner is Like a Roommate…But Doesn’t Pay Up

This can get tricky pretty quickly. You want to give due attention to your romantic life, but you’re going to irritate your roommate if your partner is over at the apartment all the time — especially if they’re doing all their laundry there or walking around in their underwear like they own the place, without contributing anything money-wise. Try alternating between your place and theirs.

9. You Don’t Practice Self-Control

Keeping your sex life private can be difficult when you live with someone else. Try to control yourself when they’re home. This doesn’t mean you can’t do the deed when they’re around, but you should keep the volume down.

10. You Don’t Clean Up Your Messes

I know you’re fond of the “letting it soak” method of washing dishes, but leaving them for two weeks is a little excessive. Clean your dirty dishes soon after you use them. Try to adhere to the 48-hour rule.

11. You Overlook the Importance of Laundry Day

When you leave laundry in the hamper for weeks at a time, it looks sloppy, but it can also begin to stink up your house. It’s in your best interest to have a specified laundry day every week or two and stick to it.

12. Your Music’s Too Loud

I know you’re a fan of your new stereo, but that doesn’t mean that the people you live with are. Even if you share the same taste in music, when they’re home, they want to relax. Invest in some good headphones.

13. Your Friends are Always There

The home is a sacred space, and your roommate probably wants alone time every now and then. This is difficult when you want to throw a party every weekend. Instead of always hanging around your place, suggest meeting up with your friends at the bar.

14. No One Laughs at Your Jokes

You might think it’s funny to pull pranks on your roommate and post their reaction on Snapchat, but that gets old real quick. If you try a prank once and they don’t respond well, you might want to find a new target.

15. You Hog the TV

Maybe you’re a PlayStation addict, or maybe you love watching reruns of Chopped. Either way, you should split time with the TV equally. Don’t assume that because your roommate is in the same room, they want to watch the same thing you do. (If this becomes a serious issue, you could always, you know, get your own TV.)

16. You’re Always Late With Rent

If your rent is due on the first of every month, fork over your half a few days in advance. If you’re in a situation where your finances aren’t particularly stable, then you should let your roommate know so you can work something out together.

17. You Leave Hair Everywhere

I don’t care who you are. That’s just plain gross. No one wants to be brushing their teeth and look down to see a sink full of hair. Leaving hair around is a fact of life, but that doesn’t mean you can’t clean up after yourself.

18. You “Borrow” Things Without Permission

People can be territorial about their things, even if you aren’t that way. If your roommate has something that you would like to borrow, always ask first. If they say no, just move on. It’s not worth it.

19. You Leave the Lights on 24/7

Even if you don’t care about saving the environment, leaving the lights on makes your electricity bill higher. You and your roommate shouldn’t have to pay for energy that no one is using.

20. You Complain Hypocritically

Before you speak ill of your roommate, think about what you could be doing that might make their life more difficult than it needs to be. You don’t want to be the one who’s a nightmare to live with and then complain that they had a few friends over.