Whether you’re in college or looking for your first post-graduate apartment, you’re going to be living with roommates. Not everyone likes living with roommates, and not everyone is a respectful and considerate roommate. There needs to be rules and standards established from the get-go to make sure it’s a pleasant experience for everyone involved.

Here are 4 useful tips for living with roommates today:

1. Be Clear:

A lot of people are afraid to set out boundaries and discuss the harder things at hand when they first meet their roommate. What they don’t realize is that by biting their tongue, they’re setting themselves up for irritation and anger down the line. Be clear about the room arrangement and what you like and don’t like right from the start.

2. Respect Your Roommate:

You may not like or respect your roommate. That is totally fine. But for a comfortable living situation, show them respect even if they don’t deserve it. Respect their items, and the communal kitchen tools they’ve left for you to use. Clean them nicely and always put them away.

3. Don’t Be Possessive:

If you really love something that you put in the communal pool, learn to let it go. Nothing is more irritating than someone who offers up an item, and secretly hates that other people are using it. Everything can be replaced. Learn to take a step back.

4. Keep Your Mess to Your Room:

It’s one thing if you want to trash your room and keep it dirty at all times. It’s another thing to bring that mess into the communal living space. Keep shared spaces neat and tidy.

Living with roommates is a necessary evil we all experience. Do it the right way and you won’t mind it.