Living in a house-share is not for the fainthearted, nor for the picky and choosy. Ever navigated living with housemates who have completely different views on what is appropriate when sharing space with other people? Yep, us too.
We all have different household habits, and some are worse than others. But housemates who don’t clean up after themselves are officially the most annoying to live with, according to research by Go.Compare Home Insurance.
The insurance comparison site asked Brits which living routines they find the most irritating. Of those who responded, half expressed disdain for those who skimp on keeping their space clean – more than any other habit on the survey.
Leaving lights and appliances switched on when they’re not in use came in a close second at 49%, no surprise in the middle of a cost of living crisis.
Notably the survey highlighted that our household icks differ between men and women. A staggering 91% of men think it’s ok to leave the toilet seat up according to the survey, whereas 40% of women listed it as an absolute no-no.
Empty loo roll tubes proved another bone of contention – 71% of men weren’t phased by lingering cardboard tubes compared to 48% of women who said they loathed this particular habit.
Overall, women were more irritated than men by lazy living standards. Every dirty habit on the survey was selected by a higher percentage of women compared to men – suggesting that women just have higher standards.
Anyone who has lived in a house-share will tell you most arguments are caused by issues in the kitchen. Half of the 18-34-year-olds surveyed hate housemates leaving expired foods or empty packaging in the fridge – more than any other age group. Similarly, 46% of 18-34-year-olds said they can’t stand housemates stealing their food, compared to just 11% of those over 55.
“It’s no surprise that messy housemates and wasteful energy use topped the list, especially considering the current cost of utility bills,” commented Ceri McMillan, home insurance expert at Go.Compare.
“It’s particularly interesting to see how different habits irritate different groups, as this can be a reflection of their life stage or living situation. For instance, under 35s being the most irritated by bad kitchen habits is probably because much of this age group live in shared accommodation with communal kitchens,”
To which we say: you don’t have to tell us about it!
Britain’s 10 most hated household habits
- Housemates not cleaning up after themselves - 50%
- Leaving lights or appliances switched on when not in use - 49%
- Not changing the toilet roll when it runs out - 39%
- Leaving wet towels or dirty clothes lying around - 37%
- Not doing their fair share of household chores - 36%
- Leaving expired foods, leftovers or empty packaging in the fridge or cupboards - 33%
- Not removing hair from plug holes - 27%
- Leaving cupboards, drawers and windows open - 27%
- Needlessly slamming doors - 27%
- Leaving the toilet seat up - 25%