You wouldn’t normally expect a fire alarm to go off at random times when you were home with your parents but in halls of residence, anything is possible. It is like the age-old fable “The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf”. One minute you hear the deafening sound whilst tucking in bed and can’t be bothered to get out, the next minute you realise it is for real and follow the stream of people out of the building. Never assume it is just the authorities “crying wolf”, stay alert and clench your teeth if you have to! The recent case in Purbeck House where a female student luckily escaped the fire after leaving a tea light burning is a useful reminder.
Nor would you expect to see a load of strangers messing around in the communal kitchen at prime time, only to find out they’re friends of your flatmates. Okay we’re not in a communist society so that you could make yourself at home at anyone’s home (even in such a society, it’d still be too much!) You might wonder if those people would break your dear old mug, or they’d get drunk and knock on your door while doing an assignment, or simply just prevent you from watching your favourite programme on telly. As long as they are considerate enough and it doesn’t happen too often, don’t put on a grouchy face because you’d accidentally write on your face “Do not mess with me!” And remember you could always bring your friends over once in a while, that way fairness is mostly preserved. Also, if the “strangers” are cooking some stuff, you might well be invited to try out the food as a sign of friendliness. So don’t put people off by inhospitality, even though they’re not really your guests.
Living in a privately-rented house might reduce the number of fire alarms, but there’re a few other kinks. If you find yourself under a mountain of bills: water, electricity, gas, internet, TV license, you’re not alone. There should be no problem provided your housemates are responsible and pay the shares on time. Sadly, it’s not always been the case. Since you’re keen on both keeping the peace and getting the financial burden off quickly, this can be rather tricky. The only way to get round it is to get a few allies and apply some psychological knowledge, i.e. using social pressure.
At other times you notice food starts to go missing. There can’t be mice inside, there certainly can’t be ghosts, and this is where potential tension arises. It might be that there’re drunk people who can’t even distinguish a tennis ball from a pear. There was a case where the concerned housemates had to stick big notes inside their cupboards as to warn off “petty thieves”. Something like “I put my stuff in my cupboard for a reason” would do.The last thing you would want to do is have the police coming round your house. Imagine being woken up in the early morning by absolute chaos caused by one of your troubled housemates, followed by a not-so-tentative knock on the front door by the police. That said, don’t just throw a tantrum against people, give them a chance and then phone up the landlord/agent if needed.
Haven’t experienced any of those mentioned above? Then you’re very lucky indeed. Or it might be that you go out too often to care about such “domestic affairs”. Either way, there is no room for complacency, be prepared for anything that might crop up along the way. Nonetheless, make full use of your 3 years: meet new people, live learn and laugh with them. You’re still just a student after all and too much stress shouldn’t be allowed!
