Because shared living is basically Love Island, except with more passive-aggressive Post-its and IKEA furniture.

So you’ve moved to a new city: maybe Berlin for the “techno and cheap rent” dream (good luck), Barcelona for the sun, or Paris for the croissants and questionable landlords. You found a flatshare, and life seems good… until you meet them: your roomies.

Living with strangers is like speed dating for survival. Some you’ll love. Some will make you question every decision that led you here. But don’t worry: we’ve got the ultimate guide to the 7 types of roommates you will definitely meet (and how to survive them without losing your mind).

1. The Ghost

They exist. Probably. You saw them once when they moved in with two suitcases and a plant. Since then, they’ve been an urban legend. You hear noises sometimes. Maybe a door creaks at 2 a.m. Maybe you once spotted a shadow near the fridge. That’s them. 

You find their name on the mailbox, but the Wi-Fi bill will still be addressed to the previous tenant who left for Erasmus three years ago.

Survival tip: Embrace it. This is the closest you’ll get to living alone without selling a kidney. Just… maybe don’t borrow their almond milk. They will know.

2. The Kitchen Hoarder

Every kitchen has one: the spice kingpin. Their shelf looks like an organic shop in Prenzlauer Berg. Pink Himalayan salt, saffron from a “friend in Marrakesh,” and three kinds of olive oil “for different moods.” They also own that weird gadget no one really needs: something like a spiralizer for zucchini noodles.

Survival tip: Label your oat milk like it’s your firstborn child. And accept that one day, you’ll accidentally use their artisanal truffle oil and start an unspoken cold war.

3. The Party Animal

It’s Wednesday. 3 a.m. You’re trying to sleep because you have a class at 8, but in the living room there’s a full-on Erasmus reunion. Someone’s opening Lidl Prosecco with a shoe. A stranger is DJing off their iPhone. At some point, your neighbor calls the Hausverwaltung because apparently, you’ve turned the WG into Berghain.

Survival tip: Noise-canceling headphones are your new religion. And pro tip: learn how to say, “Guys, I have to wake up early” in three languages.

4. The Wellness Influencer

They start every day with a yoga flow in the living room and drink green juice that costs more than your rent. They’ll ask if you’ve “tried cutting out gluten” while you’re reheating last night’s döner. Their room smells like palo santo and ambition.

Survival tip: Don’t fight it. Borrow their yoga mat once, pretend you enjoyed it, and quietly continue eating your frozen pizza.

5. The Bathroom Bandit

They vanish for hours. Where? Obviously, the bathroom. It’s their safe space, their sanctuary, their personal spa. Every morning, you play the same game: will you shower before your 9 a.m. lecture, or will you show up looking like you’ve been lost in the Sahara?

Survival tip: Make a schedule before you start showering at the gym or brushing your teeth in the kitchen sink like a Victorian orphan.

6. The DIY DJ

They didn’t just move in with clothes. They moved in with decks. Vinyl. Speakers that could fill a stadium. Every Friday night turns into “just a little set,” which is code for “you’re going to hear the same four tracks until sunrise.”

Survival tip: Learn to like deep house or develop a love for earplugs. Bonus: if you can’t sleep, you might as well just start requesting tracks.

7. The Overly Friendly One

They mean well. They want to cook together. Watch Netflix together. Plan “flatmate bonding nights” and maybe a group trip to Prague. It’s cute… until you realize you wanted someone to split rent with, not apply for joint custody of a plant.

Survival tip: Boundaries are healthy. “Maybe later” will become your favorite phrase. And headphones won’t just be for music; they will be a visual signal that says, “For the love of God, I need some alone time.”

Bottom line

Flat-sharing is a cultural experience, a sociology experiment, and occasionally, a crime documentary waiting to happen. But you’ll also collect stories, inside jokes, and probably a random IKEA fork that isn’t yours.

And if you’re currently in the “scrolling through shady Facebook groups at midnight” stage of the hunt, let’s make your life easier.

At Heyroom, you are guaranteed to find roommates who won’t eat your cheese. Our algorithm matches you with people you’ll actually like (or at least tolerate) and flats that don’t look like a horror film set.

Stop gambling with your sanity—meet your dream flatmate today.