Lifes Lessons #2

Renting!! I have lived in more houses then my age so I know pretty much all about renting. I moved out of home at the age of 18. I firat moved to Palmerston North, NZ. I lived with my cousin and her husband. It wasnt too long when I decided that I want to go flatting. So my two friends and I went house hunting. Within two weeks we had found a house and we moved in. 16a Keeling Street,
West End
Palmerston North. (2006)
6 bedrooms and only 3 of us. The rent was cheap too. Whilest living there we ended up getting more flat mates. In the end we went through more flat mates. The most at one time was 13adults and 2 kids. Living with that many people sure did bring a bit of drama but it also brought life to our house. So thinking the more people the cheaper the rent. NOT! At the time everything was under my name. The power rhe house was under me and my 2 mates but when they left it was put under another 2 friends. By the time we moved out we owed $3,000 in rent. Only 3 of us were actually paying. And $800 in power and our flat account was overdrawn by $400. So I had to pay 1/3 of the rent owing, all of the power because it was in my name and so was the flat account. So I moved with another friend to,
Main street
Palmerston North (cant remember the number)
(2006-2007)
My then flat mate was out getting a taamoko on tbe day we had to move so me and my cousins husband had to move all my things and all her things from Keeling St. We lived there for quite a while. This time everything we split half half. Coz I was not going to put my name on everything again. But all the furniture was mine. We got along ok until the end. This is when I learnt that friends shouldnt live together. So i moved again to another flat with all randoms.
Cook Street
West End
Palmerston North (2007)
I lived with a pakeha, and a chinese. All my furniture went into storage. And we paid for only our rooms directly to the landlord. So if someone missed out on their payment only that person suffered. So I thought this was a good way of flatting. We just split the power between us. Then a Indian woman and her child moved in. I think they were the only flatmates I saw during that time because the other two were like hermits and lived in their rooms. I decided I wanted to stay and so did the pakeha but he didnt get back to our landlord in time so we had to move. By then I had come for a holiday to Hamilton and my friends here were talking about getting a flat, so I told them I would moved to Hamilton with them.
37 Wellington Street
Hamilton East
Hamilton (2007-2008)
Now you would think I learnt the last how many times. So the house was under all 3 of our names and the power was under someone elses name. I lived here for about 6 months before everyone had pretty much moved and stopped payong rent so I had to look for me another house, and yes because they stopped paying rent we got another bill. If I went away I would put my money into my friends bank accounts to pay our rent but instead they spent it without my knowledge. So this time it was going to be just me. Live by myself.
95a Aurora Tce
HIllcrest
Hamilton (2008-2010)
Aahhh living by myself, no one to depend on, no one to make bills. A whole house to do whatever I wanted. I loved it. I was th eonly one responsible for late payments (which they never were). Then I started to get abit lonely. So my friend ask to move in a male friend from my class. He was the first flatmate I had that was good. He paid his rent on time and was hardly home. Thats when my faith in humanity kicked in again. Lol. After a while he moved out and I had a bf so I wasnt so lonely. At this house I was studying fulltime and had 2 part time jobs just to get by. I lived in this house for 1 1/2 years. Then i moved up the driveway to the bigger house at..
95 Aurora Tce
Hillcrest
Hamilton (2010)
Yes the same address minus the 'a'. Here I lived with my now ex and my nephew. I was stil working 2 jobs and studying fulltime. Now I had been flatting for 4 years. The next couple of years I was all over the place. I broke up with my ex then moved with my niece shes older than me and her 2 children.
Beaumont Ave, Hillcrest. Then we moved to Greenfield cres, Western Height. I just paid board now. Whilst there I decided I should move home to Gisborne Te Hau Rd Whatatutu. So i did. I only lasted 2 weeks. So I came back to Hamilton. I stayed with my friend Jess at Cambridge Rd, Hillcrest. I stayed with her until I moved with my other friend Mere Ohaupo Rd, Melville and I paid board there too. Finally another friend and I found us a house and we moved to..
18 Rothesay Place
Dinsdale
Hamilton (2011-2012)
I lived there for about 7months. It was good. This time I made sure I had no ties to the house because she had children and I knew if it came down to it I would move out first. So she had everything under her name. I moved out into a granny flat behind my work mates house.
19a Cleveland St
Melville
Hamilton (2012)
It was a cute little flat I had a room my own shower & toilet and a little kitchenet and a little lounge. Perfect size for me. I just paid board at this place. It was great. But then it was getting abit annoying with working and living with a person so I found me another unit.
13 Baverstock rd
Rotokauri
Hamilton (2012)
It was my own little place. It was a bit dark and it was underneath a bigger house. Then the teenages would have parties and I couldnt put up with it. So then my friend called me that same weekend and asked if id move with her because her flat mate had done her over like my old ones done me at the top of this post. So I knew what she was going through and I knew she wouldnt let that happen again. So I moved to..
43 Gilbass Ave
Hamilton Lake
Hamilton (2012-present)
Everything is under her name, but we all pay half half in everything. It has been so far a good experience. We feel at home and we can deal with issues that arise. I have now lived here for 1 year and I dont plan on moving again for a long while yet.

So the moral of this post is to
- find someone you can live with
- be openly honest with them.
- You need to know how they live and they need to know how you live and just live with it.
- Split bills between each flatmate
- Have a flat account under everyones names
- Make sure everyone has access to that account so they can see where their money is being spent
- Make automatic payments for esch bill to the specified amount so you know its getting paid each week, and if power is more then the specified amount split between everyone.
- Everyone to have turns at the chores i.e
*cooking *dishes *rubbish *cleaning
- Plan meals a week ahead so you know what to buy in your groceries.
- love your flatmates
- have fun
- communicate !! Thats the biggest one.

Good luck, sorry about my long post lol.

Peace & love to yall x