Division of chores biggest deal breaker in share houses: Study

MELBOURNE - You may be considered boring for being tidy, conscientious and quiet but with these qualities you would make a very good housemate, a survey has revealed.

According to mX, a survey of house-sharers has found that an unequal division of cleaning responsibilities makes people filthy, with 76 per cent making it the top issue, reports News.com.au.

The cost of household bills was the second-biggest concern (66 per cent), with rules about house parties (58 per cent), houseguests (57 per cent) and sleepover arrangements for partners (49 per cent) rounding out the top five.

A website EasyRoommate surveyed as many as 700 people in shared homes.

They found more than half distribute the cleaning tasks on an ad hoc basis, with 18 per cent preferring a roster system and just under a quarter admitting that one person tends to bear the brunt.

A whopping 79 per cent said they were happy with the division of cleaning duties in their shared home.

When it came to overnight guests, most felt it was fine for a flatmate’s partner to stay the night once or twice a week, while 81 per cent felt flatmates who have regular overnight guests should chip in more for bills.

Radek Dobrolecki of EasyRoommate Australia said people interviewing for a housemate should not be afraid to ask a lot of questions about key household issues and concerns.

“Making sure your opinions match could save a lot of tension down the track,” he said. (ANI)