Everyone deserves equal shared space

[u/Throwaway25271998]

After leaving college, I was surprised by how many people think they can claim whatever shared space they want in a shared apartment.

Almost all of my roommates, severely expanded the areas they had once their roommates moved out but all the while knowing another person was moving in.

My first grad student dorm was a 2 bd designed where everything could be split equally. My former roommate spent the 2 months before I moved filling every shared nook and cranny with crap. The bathroom, fridge, kitchen cabinets, even the floor space was overflowing with her stuff. Some things where her old roommate’s stuff that she wanted to keep but never used. Needless to say that she was a bad roommate.

Now I’m subletting. I didn’t mind the no bathroom space for my items. But, the fridge has 3 shelves to be split three ways. The shelves were moved so all shelves except mine had double the height. My shelves is no more than 4.5 inches high and can’t even fit a soda bottle standing. The fridge is loaded with stuff so it’s a full effort to equalize the heights. I didn’t mind because it’s only a 2 month sublet.

But now, I found out that new girl is moving in, my subletter ended her lease. This makes me mad. The poor girl moving in tomorrow will have to fight and beg for fridge, freezer, and bathroom space all the while paying equal rent.

Also these roommates were not at all clean and couldn’t keep up with on time cleaning.

Sorry for the rant, but I could never take all of the shared space in an apartment and I’m surprised by how common it is.

[u/Shogun_Sensei_]

Bruh fridge space wars are real. My last roommate did the same shit, took all the shelves and left me a tiny corner. Some people just have no shame

[u/Throwaway25271998 → u/Shogun_Sensei_]

Yeah, even my own sister did this to me when we lived together since she moved in earlier. She insisted that the full size fridge was small, while subjected me to a mini fridge my parents bought.

The crazy thing was, she kept a lot of old expired food in the fridge.

[u/Love_Heals_408]

Yeah that sucks. Equal rent should mean equal fridge space too. Before the new person moves in, reset the shelves so everyone gets a fair chunk. Take a quick pic after you fix it. Then if someone piles their stuff back in, you already showed it was fair once. Saying it out loud once works better than waiting till it blows up. IMHO

[u/Throwaway25271998 → u/Love_Heals_408]

Unfortunately, everything they own is sticky and gross and their fridge space are jammed. I would have to empty to whole fridge on a dirty counter (I clean it but one of the girls always places crumbs on it) and then place everything back.

Since I have to pack and move, I’ll just leave the fridge.

It sucks but it’s also not a good use of my time to fix it.

[u/suspiciousseafowl]

Yep, I'm trying to escape a lease with a selfish ass who's home 23 hours a day, driving up the electric bill and hogging the whole common area. Sure, you can use the area, you live there, but so do I, and I'm fucking sick of paying half the rent/bills for 25% of the space and much, much less than that in terms of utilities usage.

[u/Throwaway25271998 → u/suspiciousseafowl]

I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you can escape your lease. It’s really hard to split electricity.

[u/CartographerVivid859 → u/suspiciousseafowl]

I'm going through a similar situation. I can leave in a little over 2 months and im already starting to vet new potential roommates carefully.

[u/Present_Original_797]

Honestly I would not want to share a fridge. I would immediately get one of those $130 apartment size ones and put it in my room.

Because people are disgusting. They come in the house and don't wash their hands and immediately go rooting through the fridge and kitchen.

After they have been touching everything in the world - bus handles, school handles, stuff in stores. Yuck.

I really became aware during Covid how absolutely filthy the world is. I would wash my hands in a white sink after a few hours of normal activities and the water would be brown.

Not to mention all the nasty people who don't wash after they use the bathroom and the secret nose-picking.

And the chores they don't do! Even in my own house I Clorox spray at least the toilet and sink and tub handles once a day.

The selfish shelf-hoggers are just the tip of the roomate iceberg.

Grown ups get it. I know plenty of women who simply don't let people into their kitchen until they wash.their.hands.

And even then...I literally had to chase my bf back to the bathroom to wash with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and rinse them! Frequently!

A grown man! Who you know didn't always wash properly after peeing in a public toilet, since he had to be supervised at home.

And no I didn't care if that hurt his feelings. Wash those pee-sprayed hands or get out.

Jeez. Shudder.

[u/Throwaway25271998 → u/Present_Original_797]

Yeah, I’m moving into a new place with really fair roommates and I’m getting a mini fridge.

But unfortunately the room is really small with 2 outlets. So unless the new tenant removes the desk, there’s not much room for a mini fridge.

[u/Present_Original_797 → u/Throwaway25271998]

Then talk over the wash hands thing. Please when you come in from the grubby outside, wash your hands right away and I will too. A lot of people feel the same way about wearing outside shoes inside too. I can understand that mindset too, especially in a small room.