People Divulge Their Absolute Worst Roommate Experiences
Reddit user Jman1994678 asked: 'What’s the worst experience you’ve had with a roommate?'
If you've been living in harmony with roommates, consider yourselves lucky.
That's not the case for everyone sharing a space together.
Even friends who mutually want to save money by becoming roommates can be a total disaster.
Idiosyncratic behavior and bad habits that were never apparent before can surface once living arrangements are finalized.
Strangers online shared their horror stories when Redditor Jman1994678 asked:
"What’s the worst experience you’ve had with a roommate?"
People with bad habits don't make ideal roommates.
Kind Gesture Gone Wrong
"I let my boss crash at my second apartment about 15 years ago. It was a sh**ty timeshare call-center where everyone did drugs and were pretty everyman types, so he and I were more friends than coworkers. Anyway he loses his apartment and asks to stay with me for a couple months while he gets back on his feet and I agree."
"He's a great dude. Kind, smart, funny, confident, and a solid ~350 lb. I only mention the weight because it's relevant to the negative experience."
"So around a month into staying with us, he decides to get clean from his crippling opioid addiction. He's decided to cold-turkey from a 20 a day 10mg hydrocodone habit, which (for the uninitiated) is pretty intense. I advised rehab, but he elected to lie on the couch in my living room for weeks (costing him his job), sweating his a** off and shaking under a blanket."
"The reason why his size was relevant: he sweat a lot already, and had to take pains to mitigate his body odor on normal days (with varying degrees of success), but with the withdrawals and being mostly sedentary on that textile couch for weeks, the apartment started to smell like a hot a**-forest. It was a party-house with a revolving door, and people just kinda stopped coming during his tenure there. Even with my bedroom down the hall's door closed, the stench was pervasive."
"It wasn't his fault, I liked the man, and he was trying to better himself and his life, so I put up with it. And he succeeded. Got himself a new place in the agreed time frame, stayed clean and everything was hunky-dory."
"After he moved out, my actual roommate and I carried the couch to the parking lot dumpster and it took several days to air out the smell. We even did a thermal fog with an oil-based cherry-scented counterfactant, and it still didn't help."
"Kinda irrelevant, but just an addendum; we stayed in touch for a while back when I still had Facebook, and he got his life together. Got a good job as a realtor, lost a lot of weight, had a baby girl, found religion or whatever. Then after a few years of being off Facebook and radio silence, I get a call from my old roommate saying that he'd relapsed and died from a heroin overdose. Pretty f'ked."
"RIP Don."
– squalorparlor
Fire Hazard
"Dude kept falling asleep while smoking cigarettes. I got mad every time and woke him up. He bought me a fire extinguisher at a yard sale one day. He thought it was best joke ever. He fell asleep on night on the couch. Cigarettes rolled off on to the carpet. Carpet caught fire, couch caught fire, his shirt catches fire. He never woke up. I woke up, having smelled it. Grabbed his gag gift and put it all out. His shirt and hair were GONE. He was okay. Never even went to the hospital, but he absolutely would have died if I hadn't been there and had that fire extinguisher beside my bed. I moved immediately."
– 1lazylady
Some people just aren't roommate material.
Living With "Demonica"
"Shared a quad in college with a girl named Monica. She was fine in the beginning but then began doing things like hiding the toilet paper, trying to limit how much time we spent in the shared living room, allowed a homeless man to sleep on the sofa and hoarded cutlery. She decided she wanted to be a vampire and had her teeth filed into points.. at the end of the year we started referring to her as 'Demonica.'"
– goodgirlgonebad75
Runaway Roommate
"I called to ask if he had his half of the rent and he informed me that he was on I95, headed back to his hometown of Virginia. Dude cleared his sh*t out of the apartment and dipped with no warning."
– Mindofmierda90
There instances of animal abuse.
Jealous Of The Bunny
"Dude killed my pet rabbit because he was jealous of the time I spent with it. Needless to say he stopped being my roommate that day."
– huiscloslaqueue
"As a rabbit owner, this makes me absolutely furious. Bunnies are wonderful creatures and I can't imagine intentionally causing one harm ðŸ˜"
– streeboat
Some people just don't understand boundaries and think they can do whatever they want.
Eight Is Enough
"First night in the new shared apartment I was renting, my landlord slept on the floor in my living room on a rug. I thought that was weird but I was not in a position to argue, as I really needed a place to live. Then, over the next couple of months, my landlord moved in and brought over 8 family members from Turkmenistan, including a newborn baby, and they all lived in 2 bedrooms (and by bedrooms I mean one was the living room!!). When I complained, they locked me out of the apartment. I called the police who let me in and scolded the family. It was a nightmare. I finally got out of there and never looked back."
– LauraPa1mer
Pure Chaos
"Freshman year of college- she came back drunk night 5 and pissed on our carpet and some of my clothes. Then in the morning she denied all of it despite the room smelling like piss. She would have random guys over constantly and bang them with me in the room (even though she had a bf)."
"She ended up getting arrested twice during the first semester (she had painkillers that were not hers and she got a marijuana charge lmao). She was pure chaos and ended up in academic poor standing since she literally never went to class. The second semester her parents required her to come home every single weekend, so it made things much nicer lol."
– Clementinequeen95
Fortunately, I haven't had any alarming experiences where I felt slighted or if I had to sleep with one eye open at night.
My husband, however, experienced an awkward situation when we subletted our New York apartment while we were touring with a show.
When my husband had to return to New York for business, the temporary occupant said it was fine for him to crash on the couch for the night.
When my husband arrived, our tenant was nowhere to be found. But in our bed were three young Russian women in their 20s who were just crashing there for a couple of nights.
It turns out our guy subletted to those young women while he went away for the weekend.
People Share The Best Tips And Tricks For Young Adults Living On Their Own For The First Time
Living on your own for the first time can seem like a walk in the park—you're finally free to do what you want, when you want. But it's not all sunshine and roses, since living by yourself means you have to handle any unforseen crises that come up, and you have to do your own laundry.
Reddit user nebair asked:
"What are some tips and tricks for young adults living alone for the first time?"
Be Prepared
"Plunger and a fire extinguisher are better to have before you need them."
"While you're at it, get a fireproof blanket too. And make sure you have a working fire alarm (there's usually a test button)."
"And a Carbon Monoxide alarm, especially if you have gas anywhere in your place."
"There are different types of plungers for different uses. Learn them and find a store that sells the one you will most likely need."
"Most stores, especially dollar stores, will likely sell only one type. Make sure you know which one you're grabbing."
"Fire extinguishers should have different types, too. Learn what each one is good for what fire. Grease fire from cooking? Candles tipped over?"
"Class A: Solid fires"
"Class B: Liquid Fires"
"Class C: Electrical fires"
"Class D: Chemical fires (think a galaxy note 7)"
"Generally, you should have a few class ABC extinguishers around, as well as a class BC just outside of the kitchen (not in the kitchen or it's not of much use if the whole kitchen catches fire)."
Treat Yourself Right
"Think you're having a relationship with future you. You do nice things to your SO, right? Do the same with future you."
You Really Won't
"You're not going to clean it up later. Just do it now and get it over with."
"Same thing with laundry. If you are thinking about doing it, you have free time to do it. Trust me. You never think of it when there is no time for it. Best to do it then."
"And set a timer so you don't forget about those clothes you put in the washer."
"No one likes coming back the next day to find out your clothes all smell of mildew and you have to start again."
$$$
"Everything is more expensive than you think it is and will only ever get more expensive."
"It's all the little things you don't always think of: paper goods, soap, common food staples, garbage bags, etc. You won't buy them every time you go to the store, but you'll feel the impact when you run out."
Rent First
"Budget wisely, pay the roof down. Rent first, then utilities, then phone, internet etc. But always the roof first."
"There are some great budgeting apps out there that can help with this - they really let you see where your funds are going."
These Actors Seemed Miscast But Absolutely Nailed The Role | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
The Actors Who Seemed Miscast But Absolutely Nailed The RoleFew people bought into the idea of Bryan Cranston in the role of Walter White before Breaking Bad...Meal Prep Is Your Friend
"Meal prep and meal planning are your friends. Not only will this save you money because you won't be wasting food you get at the store but you'll be less likely to order takeout."
"Be prepared for expenses. Try to sock a few bucks away each month for emergencies. Even if all you can afford to squeeze out of the budget is $10/month ... DO IT! And don't touch that money unless it's a legit emergency. Needing pizza/beer money/new video game/new clothes/etc is not an emergency."
"The library is your friend. Borrow books - like cookbooks - to learn new skills and pass the time. Borrow cds and dvds and possibly even video games depending on your local library's stock. It can save you a few bucks here and there and gets you in the habit of being thrifty and socking more money away in that emergency account."
Buying In Bulk Really Helps
"Buy non persihable foods in bulk. Rice and beans go quite far, for example."
"Get a good quality kitchen knife, it makes a world of difference in prep work for cooking. It doesn't need to be exorbitantly expensive, just not some cheapo crap from Walmart or Amazon."
"Set schedules for yourself. It is very easy to get used to lounging around with no one telling you to do laundry or house chores. Keep yourself disciplined, but don't forget to reward yourself too!"
Not Optional
"Cleaning is not optional."
"I found that it helps to create a cleaning schedule--ex. dishes every day, laundry every week, bathrooms every other week, vacuum once or twice a month, etc. And then you ignore the schedule and have to clean like crazy ten minutes before company arrives."
"'Don't put it down, put it away' is a mantra I chant to myself often."
You Never Know
"Get your locks changed in case anyone out there has a key."
"And if you have a garage, reprogram your remote. You don't have to buy anything, just press some buttons."
"You'll need to check with your landlord first as a lot of apartment complexes don't allow you to change locks."
Peace Of Mind Is Priceless
"Get a light by your bed. For some reason, every now and then, I get this crippling anxiety that there's someone in the room when I wake up. It could just be a creak from the wind but once the lights on and you can see there's nothing you can go back to sleep without any worry"
"Get a blinding light pointed toward your bedroom door you can turn on from the bed."
You Never Know When You'll Make A Mess
"Get cleaning supplies before you need them."
"At the very minimum, have scouring powder and dish soap. Most household cleaning can be done with a dilute solution of vinegar and water."
"And there is NO substitute for Formula 409."
Cooking Is Actually Fun, Too
"It's way cheaper to cook at home and get food containers for leftovers than it is to order in all the time."
"And also that you should not tell your neighbors too much personal sh*t unless they become your close friends."
"Oh and don't forget to forward your mail from Amazon, eBay, and the post office, or it's going to take a very long time."
"Same goes for drinking at home. Spend one night's bar tab on a box of wine and a cute set of wine glasses instead, and you're set for a while!"
Bulk TP Is A Good Idea Too
"If you have the space, buy nonperishable items like toilet paper or detergent in bulk."
"I remember the first time I had to buy toilet paper my self I was so bewildered like 'why the f**k is this so expensive'"
"Develop some hobbies and passions if you don't have any yet so that you don't go f**king crazy from the loneliness"
"Yep. Got into piano. Musical instruments make good hobbies. Easy to make both shorter and longer term goals since that's basically just pieces you'd like to play."
"What's super nice is a keyboard/digital piano typically allows you to use headphones so you don't have to worry about bothering the neighbors even if you have thin walls or happen to want to play at 3am."
"Also some sort of media consumption hobby you can partake in while doing boring stuff like cleaning is useful. Podcasts, audiobooks, music etc are great to listen to while cleaning or cooking etc."
Don't Be Afraid To Buy Secondhand
"There's tons of good quality furniture available on Facebook marketplace. Second hand furniture of good quality is way better than some Ikea stuff. And it's usually cheaper too, sometimes free"
"Plus, always search for it in the richer part of towns. You'd be surprised what amazing furniture people throw out."
"Garage and estate sales can have some real bargains. The latter are great if you're looking for hardware and tools."
"Secondhand furniture can have bedbugs. Be wary."
"Agreed. I'd steer away from couches and things like that, but it's great for dining tables/chairs, cabinets, tv units, bookshelves, coffee/side tables, bedframes, etc."
Make Sure To Keep In Touch
"Don't forget to call your mom now and then (or another trusted adult, if you don't have a mom or if your mom is not helpful.)"
Crying Can Be Self Care
"If you want to cry then you need to cry, 9/10 times you'll feel much better afterward."
Always Sleep On It If You Can
"Don't spend more than you can pay off each month on a credit card. Debt is suffocating. Also, if you get the itch for a new car but yours is running fine, rent one for a couple of days and then go back to old faithful."
"If you're unsure about something, sleep on it. Not all decisions have to be made immediately."
Living on your own for the first time is usually equal parts exciting and anxiety-inducing. Hopefully these tips will help you prepare for when things don't go quite to plan, and keep you living comfortably in your new digs.
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Air B&B Hosts Share The Rudest Thing A Guest Has Done In Their Home
There's always the element of the unknown when it comes to booking an AirBNB. Is the apartment owned by a serial killer? Are the people booking the apartment serial killers? Are both of you serial killers about to have a stand-off? Who knows. But here are some of the craziest stories from AirB&B hosts (but not the serial killer kind).
u/Aura_Blaze_Official asked: People who rent out their houses for Air B&B, what is the rudest, most fucked up thing a guest has done in your home?
What terrible renters.
Not me but my sister.
She was visiting her boyfriend who lived in France at the time, and figured it was a good idea to put her apartment on air b&b.
There were 2 guys that ended up renting it for 9 days of the 3ish weeks she would be gone. Day 2 she got complaints from neighbours about garbage being thrown out the window, she lives on the 5th floor. She tried getting them to stop, when that didn't work she tried getting them to leave, didn't work either ofc.
She ended up calling our parents to get them to help with calling the police as she was still in another country. When the officer showed up they spit in his face and tried punching him. He got reinforcements and got them removed, idk what happened to them afterwards sadly.
As a side note: Air b&b was surprisingly helpful, and even handled all the legal things with the guys still paying for the full 9 day stay, without more than a quick call to describe what was happening.
Now THAT'S creepy.
GiphyFound a web cam in the bathroom. Not well hidden, can't really prove which guest it was, but it scared the **** out of me because I'd probably be liable if a guest found it.
Weird.
Steal the cable for the tv. The next guests asked about the tv not working, and upon inspection we found that the physical cable from the tv to the cable was missing - taken by the previous guests.
wtf?
That's so scary!
1st time was my last time.
But, rented to a young lady and her 5 year old son. Was supposed to be an overnight then she would return in a week for a second night.
We met the lady and her son, showed her around, she told us she would likely be gone by noon at the latest.
Wife and I showed up at house around 1:30 to clean up. Her car was still in the driveway, we knocked on the door, the little boy answers. Tells us his mommy won't wake up.
We found her lying on the floor next to the bed.
Apparently she had a heart attack in the night and tried to get to her cell phone.
The cops contacted her family, they came and got the little boy.
Lots of tears and emotion.
Wife and I decided that we didn't want that ever again. So, we took it off the site.
They must have read the Necronomicon.
GiphyRented our holiday cabin out to come back to a disgusting smell of death, I don't know how else to describe it but we found 6 dead deer dragged underneath the house and like propped up to look demonic.
We rented it out to 5, 20 year old boys. Would love to know what really happened that weekend.
Gross.
My sister rents out a unit that's attached to 2 other units. She told me about a guy who was a first time renter on the app. He seemed nice enough, but she got complaints from the neighbors about partying and loud music late at night.
She spoke to him the next day, he was super chill about it, but when he left, she found a mess. Beer cans and food everywhere and on top of that he spilled beer all over the mattress so she had to get a new one. She charged him for it and wasn't sure if he was gonna pay up, but he did. Wasn't super bad, but it was incredibly stressful for her.
Disgusting.
Had a guest from NYC stay in our VRBO apt for a week. She was a bit snooty and bragged that she was coming to sell high end seafood to high end restaurants. She asked me to make sure and accept a large package of frozen seafood that was being overnighted to the house prior to her arrival. I did and put it in her apartment. She arrived and we didn't see her until the day she left. She told told all went well and she got several new clients. Then she presented us with a HUGE fillet of Tuna as a gift.
Once she left we went in to the unit to start cleaning and prepping for new guests arriving a few days later. The place was FILTHY! She threw her trash on the floor rather than in the trash cans. All of the washcloths were missing from the linen closet but none were in the laundry pile. I found three bloody wash clothes under a paper towel in the bathroom trash. It was the only thing in it. There was this bad smell and we couldn't figure out where it was coming from. After a thorough search we found it. She had been broiling seafood in the oven. That new oven was disgusting! The inside was caked in grease, fish scales and god knows what else. It took me one entire afternoon to get it clean.
Why do people suck so much?
GiphyA friend of mine rented out his condo to a family for 3 months solid. When the rental period was up, they refused to leave and he had to call the police out to get them to go.
Then he found out they had ruined the flooring in the kitchen by keeping a dog water bowl on the floor and letting water just get trapped under it until it soaked in day after day, week after week.
He said the kitchen looked like they'd been running a commercial restaurant because there was no way normal family meals could have accounted for the amount of grease and curry staining the walls.
They'd also left rotting food on the counters that had maggots crawling on it.
The kicker was he filed a complaint with AirBNB demanding a full refund of his 3 months rent because he wasn't happy with the rental.
Wow.
Not me personally but there was an article in the newspaper of my hometown about an Air B&B that was turned into a brothel for about two weeks. When the owner returned home he still had men show up at his door looking for the girls.
Did they think it was Fabreeze?
Relative of mine has an AirBnb - Tenant decided they didn't like the place for some reason and took a can of emergency bear mace and sprayed all over the AirBnB before leaving.
Relative had to clean the place, eyes stinging the whole time, before a new AirBnb Tenant was to show up the next day.
Girls Reveal What They Look For The First Time They Visit A Guy's House
Spoiler Alert: Bathrooms. Women (and guests in general) really appreciate it when your bathroom is clean, stocked with toilet paper, and has things like a trash can, soap and a hand towel. There. I just earned you 100 points with your friends, family, and that cutie you've been eyeballing lately. You're welcome.
Reddit user bepseh asked:
Girls of Reddit what are some things you look for when visiting a guys place for the first time?
There were tons of responses, you guys; and no, they didn't all involve the bathroom. The number that did involve the bathroom has be asking a lot of questions about the hygiene practices of the dating male, but that's for another time. Here are some of the more popular answers, edited for language if needed.
What do you look for?