A relationship with your flatmate: the Dos and Don’ts

By Emily Fromant, Wellbeing Editor

The Croft Magazine // Everyone warns against dating your flat mate, but now you’re in too deep – what ways can you ensure this relationship is healthy and long lasting?

Do – talk to each other and communicate about one another’s feelings. You need to discuss where each of you stands otherwise it may cause misunderstandings of the situation.

Don’t – stay in their room a lot. Because you’re living together and are also in a relationship, it would be wise to set boundaries to ensure you both have healthy time apart.

Do – go out on fun and exciting dates. When living with your partner it is easy to fall into the trap of not putting a huge amount of effort into spending time together: to keep this new relationship blossoming make effort to explore Bristol together or try new places to eat.

Don’t – involve your flatmates in your relationship. Of course, your flatmates are going to find out the two of you are together, but to ensure no one picks sides in an argument it is best to avoid talking to your flatmates in depth about your relationship; three’s a crowd.

Do – have a breakup strategy. If you and your partner/roommate decide to end things, you'll need to figure out what will happen.

If things ended terribly, it’s probably best if one of you moves out. It’s not fair to either of you or your other roommates to have to live with constant tension.

If things ended on good terms, it’s OK for you to continue living together, but you’ll need to establish new rules. Both of you will probably start dating other people at some point, so you need to make sure you set some new boundaries.

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Relationships when living together are risky, and it is something you really need to think about before diving in headfirst. But many people have made it work, and if you and your partner are both honest and patient with each other, this may be a match made in a four-wall paradise.

Featured image: Unsplash/ Gaelle Marcel

How did your flat love story go? Let us know!