little rant about flatmates...

WolfSong2000

Thanks for the continued advice...one flatmate has more or less paid up. I'd put a sign up in the main corridor pointing out they hadn't paid, how much they owed and the breakdown of costs (£35 each). One handed me a check last night (4 days after sign went up) for £33...I queried what had happened to the other £2 and she said she wasn't happy paying for my time (I'd included a £2 charge for my time/"interest" payment). I then pointed out to her that I was the one that had organised phone, internet and TV, and I was the one who had spent numerous hours sorting all this out, plus if i was stupid enough to pay my bank late they'd charge me interest, and it'd be a lot more than £2...so, she tore the check up, came back with £30 cash and said she'd pay me the other £5 asap...not holding my breath but it's a start.

Other flatmate still hasn't offered to pay, but I can hear her !!!!!ing about me with other flatmates in the communal areas (thin walls). I've been doing my best to stay away from other flatmates and have retreated to my room, but I am going to have to take this second flatmate up on the fact that she hasn't paid me, as it really pi**es me off to see her quite happily watching TV when she still hasn't paid for it!

I'm counting down the days until next June when I never have to see her again, I really am.

Am also going to use you guys suggestions on keeping plates, etc to myself as I'm getting sick of them getting damaged.

Thanks for the help, guys.

jamesey07

good to see your no longer being a doormat, i am sure they all now respect u instead of taking the pi55 outta you :T keep us updated with any new developments

Amber_Sunshine

Flatsharing hell ... I now rent my own little flat and it's worth the expense.

Withdraw TV and internet, sell the TV or swap for a smaller one and keep in your room. If they don't like it, tough. Refuse to get into any arguments and avoid them as much as possible. If they try arguing, tell them it's your final year and you need to study, so you don't have time to chat. These people are taking advantage of you. In a matter of months, you'll never have to see them again, so why care what they think of you?

daska

WolfSong2000 wrote: »

Other flatmate still hasn't offered to pay, but I can hear her !!!!!ing about me with other flatmates in the communal areas (thin walls). I've been doing my best to stay away from other flatmates and have retreated to my room, but I am going to have to take this second flatmate up on the fact that she hasn't paid me, as it really pi**es me off to see her quite happily watching TV when she still hasn't paid for it!

So get the other people you share with, who have paid their debts, to sort it out for you. The simple answer is to take away all the privileges from everyone on the basis that if you don't get all the money you can't provide these things at all. Give them a deadline: pay up by x day of the month, every month, or you will cancel the various subscriptions, sell the TV etc. And no, don't refund the £30 if it's money you've already paid out.

pinkshoes

1. Disconnect the internet, then get yourself a dongle so that you can access the internet via that. If they want internet, they can get their own dongles.

2. Take the pan and trays, and put them in your room. If they can't clean them, they don't get to use them.

3. Buy a pack of paper plates and plastic knifes and forks from poundland. Not very eco-friendly, but will prove a point and will prevent you having to wash up.

4. Phone your local hospital and see if they want the tv. Many wards don't have one, and long term residents really appreciate donated TVs.

5. Keep a diary with notes in detailing conversations you've had and things you need to do. Refer to eat every day.

Maybe 1, 2 and 4 are a little OTT, but I would certainly consider number 3 and 5.

pinkneonmartini

Oh how i remember the days of student cr!apdom lol. I've been in your shoes so many times! I lived in a house with 3 boys and a girl. The boys were repeating their 2nd year for the millionth time, but me and the other girl were freshers, but it also meant that EVERYTHING got blamed on us.

They were typical boys, their washing up system was essentially to leave everything to rot, and then if you want to use something you wash it yourself, use it, and then leave it to rot until someone else wants its! HOW MINGIN IS THAT!!!!! I couldn't do it, so i ended up every couple of days blasting the kitchen, washing up/surfaces/cooker/floor and basically disinfecting the whole thing!

Problem was the boys got used to this and became even lazier, as an added bonus they were all rather dependent on weed and became increasingly paranoid. In the end they accused me of the most bizarre things like turning the cooker on and just leaving it, not using it, but just go out and leave it on, !!!!!!? they didn't believe me until one morning one of the boys was actually caught sleep walking! He went downstairs turned the oven on, then cracked eggs into a frying pan and left them on the side and went back to bed! He woke up and had no memory of any it, despite me and the two boys watching him and taking to him while he did it! There were apologies but it was too little too late and i moved out within the week.

I've lived with girls who would leave cups for so long that the mould in them would turn to concrete and they would throw them away and buy more rather than wash up! Another girl could never remember to do her washing and in the end her floor was litterally 2 foot deep in clothes! but she still went out and bought a new warbrobe each month. Students are VERY strange creatures!

1st: remove your valuble plates! put them under your bed or something until you move out that way you'll still have them for the future. Either get a cheap set from asda, or just keep 1 out for you and leave the rest to sort themselves. Rotas can work if everyone sticks to them, if they won't then you need a different rule, like "whoever cooked is exempt" it could even encourage the others to cook for the household more often

2nd: Naming and shaming unpaid bills is the only way to go. My friends had an amazing system in their house, where they would draw a grid on the fridge (oh the joys of whiteboard markers) bills along the top, names down the side and tick off who had paid what, as they had one housemate who had a similar memory problem to yourself, there was nothing malicious about the grid as it was just ticks on a board, but he couldn't miss it on the fridge, and it would remind him to nip and get his cheque book, if the whole board was ticked off, paid up in full before the due date, then it was wiped off and a bottle or two of wine/beer would inside Be sure to include things like the TV licence, even if it's not something you wanted/organised it shows willing to the others

3rd: communal appliances that aren't really communal..... hmmmm this is a tough one! I would hold a couple of wires hostage and simply add any outstanding costs to your bills board, and leave a clear statement that "when all entertainment facilities have been paid for they will be eligible for use"

4th: DON'T HIDE AWAY!!!! If you're stressed and can hear them discussing you call a house meeting and have an open forum where no-one leaves until the problems are sorted.

Katie-Kat-Kins

If you can hear them !!!!!ing about you why the hell are you sat here talking about it on a forum, walk in and say "if you have something to say about me please say it to my face I don't appreciate your snide secretive !!!!!ing! What is your problem?"

Don't let them grind you down like this!!!!

Reggie_Rebel

WolfSong2000 wrote: »

Other flatmate still hasn't offered to pay, but I can hear her !!!!!ing about me with other flatmates in the communal areas (thin walls). I've been doing my best to stay away from other flatmates and have retreated to my room, but I am going to have to take this second flatmate up on the fact that she hasn't paid me, as it really pi**es me off to see her quite happily watching TV when she still hasn't paid for it!

Embarrass the selfish bint into paying up. wait until you are all in the same area and then say

"So, bint, can you give us any idea of how long you intend to ponce off the rest of us or are you going to act like a f^&%ing adult and pay your f%^&ing bills?"

floss2

WolfSong2000 wrote: »

...Other flatmate still hasn't offered to pay, but I can hear her !!!!!ing about me with other flatmates in the communal areas (thin walls). I've been doing my best to stay away from other flatmates and have retreated to my room, but I am going to have to take this second flatmate up on the fact that she hasn't paid me, as it really pi**es me off to see her quite happily watching TV when she still hasn't paid for it!.....

Not quite so "polite" as Peggie Rebel, but the sentiments are the same:
Go in and ask her when she is going to pay as you are removing the benefits until all payments are made, rather than listening to her snidey comments. In fact, try & do it when the others are there, and even better would be when any of her mates are there.....especially if there is a "favourite" tv programme that she watches....

Primrose

I suggest you buy a large bottle of wine, get your flatmates together, sit them down and admit you're getting stressed and possibly behaving over the top about the way flat maintenance duties are being carried out.
Then suggest that to ensure a more amicable atmosphere all round, none of you leave the table until you've agreed a schedule of chores that everybody will promise to adhere to. That way the air will be cleared and nobody can claim that they don't know what their obligations are.