Whether you're 22 or 32, living with housemates can be a messy situation.
You may learn a lot about iguana care from that Swedish exchange student, but you're also going to have to deal with a lot of long, strange hairs in the shower drain. It's never going to be easy, but here are five apps that might make the whole experience just a little bit smoother.
1. Splitwise
Arguing over who paid what on which bill and when is likely to turn your beautiful sunny share house into a Red Wedding-style living situation. Consider using Splitwise, instead.
Available free on iOS and Android, Splitwise lets you split bills with ease. Instead of leaving passive aggressive notes on the fridge, create a group online or on the app with your housemates, enter any bills paid or house expenses incurred, and Splitwise will send a note detailing what each person owes the other.
Splitwise even comes with a "rent-splitting calculator" to take the randomness out of the whole sordid affair when you first move into a new place. Tell the platform the monthly rent, number of housemates and the size and amenities of each room, and it will advise a fair amount.
2. Gumtree Australia
It's clearly never worth having nice, expensive furniture in a share house. Your housemate's boyfriend will inevitably spill red wine on your fancy mohair rug.
That's where Gumtree Australia comes in. Free on iOS and Android, the app lets you search listings for secondhand furniture in your vicinity -- often for dirt cheap prices, and occasionally for free.
Plus, if you need a little extra cash yourself and you're mad, really mad, at your flatmate, just list the apartment's entire contents on Gumtree and see how she feels about that.
3. HelloFresh
Sick of coming home to find your housemate ate the last can of tuna as well as the Thai leftovers? Try HelloFresh. If you can agree to split the weekly cost, the online service will send a container to your door with a recipe and the ingredients for a complete meal suiting two to six people. A classic box of three meals for two people costs around $69 a week, including delivery.
With HelloFresh, there's less waste, you and your housemates commit to cooking decent meals together, and it's hard to stay angry while eating a really great spaghetti bolognese.
4. Domain Real Estate and Property
Sometimes, after living for two years in a bedroom that's really a closet, you just gotta move on. The Domain Real Estate and Property iOS and Android apps can help with that.
Search for rental properties around Australia and the app will save your searches and sync across devices. And if you're moving up in the world, you can also look at houses for sale.
5. Rain, Rain
Living with other people is never going to be a particularly quiet affair, and there are times you just have to block out some of that noise.
Downloadable free on iOS, Android and Amazon Apps, Rain Rain will help mask the sound of your flatmate's guest-for-the-night with the soothing tones of "rain on a tent" or "seagulls over ocean."
