Those who live in a fitter’s accommodation often not only have their own room, but also share certain areas with other residents. Kitchen, bathroom, hallway, laundry room or common room – common rooms are part of the everyday life of many fitter apartments and are also the most common place for misunderstandings and conflicts. Most of it can be avoided – with clear rules, mutual consideration and a bit of everyday organization. Anyone who knows how common areas work and what is expected of all residents has significantly fewer points of friction in everyday life.
What common rooms are there in fitter apartments?
The type and number of common areas depends heavily on the respective object. In some fitter’s accommodations, all residents only share hallway and staircase – each room has its own kitchenette and a private bathroom. In other properties, especially in larger worker apartments for working columns, there is a common kitchen, one or more shared bathrooms and sometimes also a common area.
The most common areas in practice are:
- kitchen: The most used and conflict-prone common room – different cooking habits, working hours and ideas of order come together here
- Bath and shower: A potential bottleneck, especially in the morning before work, when several people have to leave the house at the same time
- Laundry room or washing machine area: Important for longer stays, but often with limited capacities
- Hallway and staircase: Common property of all residents in the house – not just the tenant
- Lounge or shared kitchen: sometimes present in larger properties, as a supplement to the private rooms
Anyone who knows which areas are shared when moving in and which rules apply there starts much more relaxed in everyday life.
The kitchen – center and conflict zone
Hardly any area in a fitter’s accommodation is as relevant to everyday life as the common kitchen. Here people with different habits, at different times and with different ideas about order cook. This works well – if clear basic rules are observed.
The most important rule is simple: if you cook, you also clean up. Dishes that stop after cooking is the most common cause of complaints in shared accommodation. If you want to cook after a long day at work and find the kitchen full of dirty dishes, you are rightly angry. Food should be labeled and sealed in the refrigerator – common food only if this has been expressly agreed.
If you leave early in the morning and prepare something quickly, you should be considerate of sleeping roommates. Quiet work in the kitchen too early hours is possible – loud handling of pots and pans at 5:00 in the morning is not.
Bathroom and shower – timing is everything
In fitter’s accommodations, where several people share a bath, the timing decides on a stress-free morning. If five people want to take a shower at 6:00 a.m. at the same time, there is inevitably a traffic jam. If you use the bathroom, you should do it quickly and then leave it clean – wipe wet floors dry, remove hair from the drain, do not store personal items permanently in the bathroom.
When choosing a fitter accommodation for working columns or group accommodation, it is worth clarifying in advance how many people share a pool. A bathroom for six people can quickly become a daily test of patience in everyday working life with early shifts. If you get this information before booking, you avoid unpleasant surprises.
washing machine and laundry room
For longer stays, a washing machine is not a luxury, but a necessity. A washing machine is available in many fitter apartments – either in the bathroom, in a separate laundry room or in a common laundry room in the basement.
The following points facilitate sharing:
- Remove laundry promptly after washing – do not leave in the machine for hours
- Do not wash excessive amounts at once if other residents also need
- Leave the washing machine clean after use – empty the lint filter, leave the door open for airing
- In case of defects, inform the landlord immediately
If you heed these simple points, you ensure that the washing machine remains reliably usable for all residents.
hallways, stairwells and entrance areas
Corridors and stairwells are common property – not only the tenant of the fitter’s accommodation, but of all residents in the house. This means: Do not store personal items, store shoes or tools in the hallway and maintain cleanliness in the entrance area.
Especially in craftsman accommodation, where tenants with heavy tools and work clothes go in and out, there is a temptation to put equipment in the hallway. However, this is prohibited in most house rules – and for safety reasons also makes sense, since escape routes have to be kept free.
A well-kept entrance area leaves a good impression on neighbors and landlords – and contributes to the fact that the accommodation remains in good condition in the long term. Anyone who regularly stays overnight in the same fitter’s accommodation will benefit even if the property is well cared for.
The use of common areas is ultimately a matter of mutual respect. Anyone who leaves the common areas as they want to find them creates a living environment in which all residents feel comfortable – and that is not a matter of course when it comes to living on a temporary basis, but the result of consideration in everyday life.