Whether you’re a new college student or an apartment veteran, you’re bound to encounter roommate quarrels. When it comes to apartment living, one of the most important things you need to understand is how to deal with a roommate situation.

Here are 4 methods to help deal with roommate issues:

Discuss the Issues

The first step when you’re not getting along with your roommate is to discuss the issues. Maybe your roommate is borrowing your clothes without asking or inviting friends over late at night while you’re trying to sleep or study. Maybe your roommate isn’t holding up his end of the cleaning responsibilities around the apartment.

Ideally, issues you have with your roommate can be discussed and resolved. Express your frustrations. Suggest a solution or come up with a compromise. Sometimes the other person or people are not trying to be mean. They simply do not realize their actions are bothering you. A simple discussion or a series of discussions to resolve the issue or issues may be all that is needed.

Set Rules and/or Boundaries

This goes along with discussing the problem with your roommate, but it digs a little deeper. You may need to establish a chore chart or set rules regarding when visitors must be out of the apartment or at least hours when visitors must be quiet. You may also want to set boundaries. While it’s great if your roommate is also your close friend, sometimes a roommate is simply a roommate.

You need boundaries, such as, staying out of each others rooms and don’t eat food that doesn’t belong to you. If your bedroom door locks, you may even need to lock the door when you leave the apartment.

Spend More Time Elsewhere

If living with the person continues to be an issue, you may need to spend more time outside of your apartment. Study on-campus. Spend time at a friend’s house. Get involved in study groups or clubs. If things are really bad, you can simply view your apartment as a place to sleep and nothing more than that.

Consider Moving

While this might feel like the extreme, some roommate situations are really bad. Despite trying every way to avoid it, you may need to get out of your lease and find a new place to live. Most likely, you have to sign a lease for a specific amount of time, under certain circumstances, you might be able to break the contract of your lease.

If not, you might be able to sublease to someone else. In the worst case scenario, paying rent for a place where you never go is better than trying to live with someone who is really making your life a nightmare.

What are some of the measures you take when you struggle to get along with a roommate? Let us know about your experiences in the comment section below.