Although I have never had roommates myself, I feel like I have lived through several lifetimes of having to deal with housemate situations through my friends’ experiences.

I believe that roommates are sometimes necessary, whether it’s for reasons of cost, location or wanting to live with your friends. I agree that any of those reasons is a justification to have roommates.

Having housemates can be a good thing, but that good thing could quickly go sour for a multitude of reasons. Throughout my life, many of my friends have found themselves living in precarious flatmate situations. I recently went over to a friend’s house where I witnessed her housemate throwing her belongings out of hersecond-storey window.

One may ask what happened, and I can honestly say that it was over a Gatorade that my friend probably should not have drunk.

Now, I know every housemate’s situation is different, but I feel as though there is always a certain give and take to having roommates, which not everyone may acknowledge.

Sometimes, having roommates is romanticized in shows like Friends, but in reality it is rarely so easy. The reality is, you may not want to be roommates with your best friend, and sometimes it’s better not to be, because living together can strain even the strongest friendships when personal habits, boundaries or lifestyles clash.

One thing that I think everyone should know before moving out and getting a roommate is that communication is key. Having an open space to communicate is always essential to maintaining a pleasant household with your housemates. If you refuse to communicate, they may not know that what they’re doing could be bothersome at times.

If you are a person reading this article who has roommates, please believe me when I say it’s important to establish boundaries early on when living with someone. I just recently had a friend describe to me that when living with their roommate, they would often take my friend’s car without asking and then leave it in undisclosed locations across the city of Winnipeg.

Roommates are sometimes an essential part of life. You may not always be able to live by yourself and that’s okay. Living with roommates can be a great experience. My only piece of advice is to make sure you set boundaries early on to avoid problems down the line.