Adulting: Dealing with Conflict

One of the hardest things to deal with when it comes to roommates is conflict. Most people tend to be non-confrontational, but it's important that you speak up for yourself. When it comes to the house, you are all paying rent to live there. Therefore, your feelings are important, so don't be afraid to talk about any issues you have with your roommates. My roommates and I recently got into a situation where we needed to sit down and have a conversation. One of our roommates had invited a friend over to the house to watch a movie with us. This friend knew two of my roommates very well, but three of us didn't really know him. Everything started out just fine but eventually he developed a bit of an attitude and left our house abruptly, slamming the door on the way out. Those of us who didn't know him were uncomfortable with that kind of behavior. He had been to our house once or twice before, but this was the first time he had done something like that. We were willing to let it go but the next morning he abruptly walked into our house without announcing himself to grab something he had forgotten. He then stormed back out and slammed the door again. It slammed so hard that I actually heard it from upstairs.

My two roommates who knew him just let the behavior go because they were used to it, but myself and my other two roommates did not appreciate him disrespecting us and our home by slamming doors and having an attitude. I made it clear to my two roommates who were friends with him that he was no longer welcome in our home. We paid rent and we had made the house into a comfortable and enjoyable living space. We were not going to allow someone to come into that space who couldn't respect that. While the conversation may have been awkward, it was important for us to have it. It wouldn't be fair for the three of us to have to endure having someone we don't like over at the house. Our other two roommates were very understanding of the situation and told us that they would make sure he knew he was no longer welcome.

Do you guys have any conflicts you're dealing with right now? Let me know in the comments below!