March 4, 2022 - In: Rooms,  Porto ,  Code of Conduct ,  Different Cultures, Same Room

Living in a shared flat is the trend these days. Students and young professionals cannot afford to rent a flat on their own, plus they are more migrant, not wanting a long-term lease until they find the job they want to stay on. And students are usually short term, and not all want the dormitory experience, desiring a home that feels like a home sweet home, and not a hospital.

Community living is difficult, even amongst family members. So imagine people from different countries, different languages, different cultures, different ages, different sexes, all coming together under one roof? This is the trend of the 2020s, that is sharing homes with strangers. It gives a unique experience, and from the social-cultural aspect, a big science experiment! Now imagine being in a foreign country, not knowing anyone, the language, the ways of being, and sharing a house with those people, can be stressful and can lead to moments of despair. Especially if it is your first time living on your own!

Not all of us have the same cleanliness, same hygiene, same beliefs, same mindset, and so on. So how do you share the kitchen, the toilet, the shower, the refrigerator with these total strangers? Not everyone is nice and understanding. Sometimes there is mis-communication, because if everyone is speaking English, it is their 2nd language, so words can lead to confusion.

Well, as your landlord, I (Greg), have seen and heard a lot of situations amongst the tenants. How does Greg deal with it? Firstly, his advice is for everyone to try and communicate on their own, to try resolving the problems. Not always this works. Then sometimes, they will ask for my help or intervention. But I avoid intervening as much as possible, because it is my view that you, the tenant, a young adult, has to try on your own to resolve conflicts of interest. That’s how we grow as people and part of the experience of living abroad, is to gain this experience under our belt. Another reason I avoid interfering is because I don’t want to take sides. I have to remain impartial, because you are all my tenants and clients. So I also have to do a juggling act which is not always easy.

There have been households where everyone really got along, even them all going away for a weekend, or hanging out together at dinners, going out with friends, just getting along amusingly and friendly. These are the best situations as a landlord we could have, seeing everyone happy and getting along.

Therefore, the House Rules, Information and Code of Conduct are so important. They exist for a reason. It is given to all tenants at the beginning of their stay. Each tenant is asked to completely read the document and agree, just like when signing something from Google, you have to accept the terms. Knowing these rules will avoid conflicts. Avoiding discord will make your experience more enjoyable and memorable. And that is what we all want :)