Roommates can be your new best friends or the bane of your existence. At one point or another, we all have to deal with them. Learn how you can avoid awkward confrontations and unfortunate situations in your apartment with our Living with Roomies: Survival Guide put together by the apartment experts at Timbercreek Communities.



Look For Red Flags

Searching for roomies isn’t easy, especially if you’re new to the city. As the hunt drags on, you may be tempted to jump into whatever setup you find first. Be sure to look for red flags before you make your choice. Meet your potential roommate(s) over coffee to get a feel for how you interact. Ask important questions, and trust your instincts. If you don’t like the person all that much after chatting, there’s a good chance you won’t get along when you’re sharing a living room.

Put Everything In Writing

When you become roommates with a stranger, it’s a good idea to put everything in writing with a roommate agreement. How you split the rent, which spaces are shared spaces and whether or not overnight guests are welcome are all details to put into writing to prevent arguments in the future.

Talk About Money Before

The big ‘M’ conversation should happen before anything and everything else. Everyone needs to agree, and then put into writing, the exact dollars and cents they’re responsible for. Pro tip? Decide in advance how each person is paying and who is responsible to deliver the payment to management every month.

Declare Some House Rules

House rules are a great idea. They’ll keep you sane and prevent you and your roomies from driving each other crazy. Grab some pizza, pull out a notepad and have each person declare their own boundaries and guidelines upfront. Get crafty and turn your rules into decor.

Prepare To Compromise

Even if you do everything by the book, no roommate situation is perfect. When something comes up, take a deep breath, relax and prepare to compromise to find a solution that works for everyone.

Good luck as you get settled with your new roomies! For excellent apartments in Canada’s finest cities nationwide, check out Timbercreek Communities today. 

Almost everyone could use a little more space in their home. The problem is more space usually means more money. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to affordably make your space feel much larger than it really is. The Timbercreek Communities blog team is here to help you make the most of your living space with these 5 tips to make your small space look large.

Hang curtains from the top of the wall

Placing your curtains high above your window, just below the ceiling is a great way to create the illusion of larger windows and more space. Make sure to use the right size and length of curtain rod and curtains -- so that they don’t block any light when they are open and make the room feel smaller.

Opt for sofas and armchairs with raised legs

Rather than bulky, heavy furniture that sits on the floor, opt for furniture pieces with legs that raise it off the floor. Think ‘floating’ shelves and bedside tables. This allows light to flow beneath and makes the room feel light, airy and more spacious.

Go for fabrics and rugs in small prints or plain colours

In smaller spaces, use small prints or plain colours for fabrics and rugs. This will visually expand the room by creating a single, unified effect. You’ll want to go for lighter colours as dark colours in a small space can make the room feel oppressive and heavy.

Include mirrors in your space

This is one of those tricks for making a room feel larger that has been passed down for generations. It really works. Well placed mirrors can make a room feel much larger than it is. Large mirrors can be expensive, but the same effect can be achieved by placing several smaller mirrors together. If you paint their frames the same colour, the look will feel organized, rather than cluttered.

Make use of hidden storage and multi-purpose items

Clutter is the enemy of a small space. Hidden storage and multi-purpose furniture can be purchased or built to keep clutter at bay and make the most of limited space. Consider coffee tables, ottomans, headboards and more, as storage opportunities. You’ll have the clean, organized and airy feel that makes your space seem much larger and more livable.

Don’t let a cluttered small space cramp your style. The blog team at Timbercreek Communities hopes this week’s post helps you make the most of your living space. For more information on Timbercreek Communities for rent across Canada, please visit our website.

Another school year has begun. If you’re already feeling stressed, make sure you know how to relax as the pressure builds. The Timbercreek Communities blog team has some simple tips on how to feel less stressed after the first 2 weeks of school.

Go for a 10 Minute Walk

It doesn’t take much for stress to creep into your life. Fortunately, it doesn’t take much effort to relieve that stress, once you are aware of it. Going for a short walk is a great way to quickly put your mind and body at ease. If all you can spare is 10 minutes for a stroll around the block, take the time and do it. If you feel you need a bit more stress relief, try to count your steps as you walk. When you find yourself thinking (especially the same thoughts that brought on the stress) simply bring your mind back to counting your steps.

Step Away from the Screen

You have a lot of work to do, which means you need to look at your computer screen constantly. Be sure to take regular breaks from the screen to avoid increased stress. The artificial light from computer and TV screens can affect melatonin production and interrupt circadian rhythms. This prevents deep, restorative sleep and causes an increase in stress and stress hormone production. To stay productive, you need to step away from the screen with regular breaks.

See Your BFF

Humans are social animals. The feeling of being connected with others is a great stress reliever. Socializing with trusted friends can bring about feelings of safety, security, belonging and enjoyment. It reminds us of the big picture and what is actually important. So, the next time you feel yourself getting tense, reach out and connect with a friend.

Yoga

Yoga has been used for thousands of years to maintain a healthy, flexible body and a stress-free mind. You don’t have to be able to twist yourself into a pretzel shape to reap the benefits. The simple act of focusing your breath and attention as you move will help you deal with whatever life throws at you. This video will help you focus and flow.

Cook a Meal

You can cut the stress out of your day as you cut up some vegetables for dinner. Cooking can reduce stress for a number of reasons. The act of chopping can be a release, the smell of food and spices can function as aromatherapy, and the act of asserting some control in a situation is good for stress levels. In the kitchen you can be in control, as you focus on the task in front of you. The best part is you get to eat after you cook!

You’ve worked hard to get where you are. It will take even more hard work to get where you want to go. Learning to control your stress will add to your overall enjoyment of life. For more information on Timbercreek Communities in London and Waterloo, please visit our website.

Whether you are starting, or returning to school this fall - or you are finished school and are starting a new phase of your life, a rental community makes a lot of sense for 20 somethings. Here’s why we think apartment communities are ideal for young people.

No Maintenance

You have enough on your mind (school, starting your career etc.) without having to devote extra time and attention to household maintenance. When you choose to live in an apartment community, you never have to stop what you are doing to make time to shovel snow, or mow the lawn. Renting an apartment also means no additional maintenance fees, as opposed to life in a condominium. If there is a problem with the plumbing or an appliance stops working, it’s not your problem to solve. All you would need to do is send a message to your property manager, or make a phone call. You also don’t have to worry about upkeep on the exterior of the building you call home.  All you need to be concerned with is keeping up with the life you are building within your apartment and beyond its walls.

Increased Safety

Let’s face it, 20 somethings go out late and come home even later. Coming home late at night on your own can be scary. An amazing benefit of living in a rental community is increased safety. Unlike a house (where there is only a single door or window preventing potential intruders from entering) an apartment offers several secure layers of entry. There is the front door of the building and fire doors before you arrive at your apartment door. Many Timbercreek rental communities, such as Avenue Apartments (137 University Avenue, less than 1km from the University of Waterloo) also offer controlled lobby access. Having several neighbours around you in your apartment community also increases your safety. Your fellow residents may also be returning home late at night, and may even watch out for strangers trying to enter your apartment.

Extra Amenities

Most 20 somethings have a busy schedule. You may be scrambling to fit essential things into your day like laundry and workouts. The more you have close to home, the better. When you live in a Timbercreek rental community, you have access to extra amenities that make life easier and more comfortable. A great feature of many apartment buildings is on-site laundry. Packing up your dirty clothes for a trip to the nearest laundromat is a time waster and a hastle. If you drive, it is a huge bonus to have access to on-site parking. Staying active is easy as your apartment building will often feature a free fitness facility -- even swimming pools are accessible to you at many Timbercreek properties including The Dorchester (1231 Richmond Street, London - 0.6 km to Western).

Savings

Many 20 somethings find themselves in debt due to tuition fees and student loans. A big benefit of renting a Timbercreek apartment (instead of renting part or all of a home) is the money that you’ll save. Rent is usually much lower in an apartment and you can expect to save on heating costs. Heating and cooling a controlled space costs less because apartment buildings retain heat from other apartments, so your winter heating bills will be much less high than they would be in a house.

Accessibility

When you live in a Timbercreek rental community your building will be accessible. You will find ramps at entrances and exits, elevators instead of stairs to climb, and one-level floor plans which make life easier for anyone with physical challenges to come and go, independently.

Community

Perhaps the most important reason why living in an apartment community is great for 20 somethings is the community aspect. When you live in a house, you may have a roommate and see a next-door neighbour or two, from time to time. In a rental community, you have next door neighbours, across the hall neighbours, laundry room neighbours, and gym neighbours (many of them in your age range). Making friends in an apartment community can be easy, you just need to smile and be polite to the neighbours you cross paths with.

Convenience, affordability, accessibility and community are hallmarks of apartment communities -- making them a great choice for a 20 something. For more information on Timbercreek rental communities in London and Waterloo, please visit our website.

To have spending money, or staying out of debt, and start saving for tomorrow is a smart plan when your attending college or university. Many businesses are looking for part-time workers all year round. Check out today’s post for four tips on how to find work on or near campus and start making money today.

Take advantage of on-campus services

If you have yet to visit your university’s career services centre, this might be the best place to start. Most institutions have entire departments devoted to helping you identify your skill set, clean up your resume and prepare for interviews. Residents at London apartments (1267 Richmond Street), have it especially easy. In one click you can sign up today for an appointment with a Career Counsellor at the on-campus Student Success Centre at Western University (1151 Richmond Street), located just a 15-minute walk away from your apartment.

Attend a job fair

Job fairs offer an awesome opportunity to meet with multiple employers at once. Each year in September, for example, the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Guelph and Conestoga College all work together to sponsor the nation’s largest Career Fair. This year’s fair is set for Wednesday, September 28th, in Waterloo’s RIM Park.

Search your university’s job bank

Tired of hearing that you’re too young or don’t have enough experience? No online employment database will cater to your demographic more than your university’s job bank. Employers who post there are specifically open to hiring students. By using this database you have better odds of finding a job that is flexible and appropriate for your experience level and skill set. Students at Wilfred Laurier University (75 University Avenue West), located near Waterloo Apartments, have access to over 5,000 jobs posted each year online via the Career Development Centre’s Navigator.

Network, network, network

Finding a great job is often the result of being connected to the right person at the right time. Staying engaged in on-campus activities is fun and might help you connect with a person who has the contacts you need to get hired today. Your university may also host networking events. The University of Waterloo hosts Employer Information Sessions which make mingling with potential employers easy.

Timbercreek Communities wishes you good luck in your search for a job. For more information about apartments located near your university, visit our website today.