ARE you a complete nutcase living in shared accommodation who likes to save the surprise of your mental state until new tenants have moved in? Here’s how:
Follow secret rules
Have a long list of very specific ways of living in the flat which is kept secret from other tenants. Then launch into a petrifying purple-faced bollocking of your hapless housemate for some heinous crime like leaving their running shoes by the front door.
Have a Jekyll and Hyde personality
Most flatmates can cope with someone who’s a bit of a knobhead but consistent. Instead keep them in a constant state of hypertension by baking cookies for them on Wednesday, then transforming into a pop-eyed lunatic when they leave mugs in the sink on Thursday.
Maintain double standards
When a flatmate comes home drunk and trips over the doormat, give them a serious guilt trip about the pressures of your job. However if five of your weird friends stay for a week playing an epic game of Warhammer until 2am every night, obviously that’s fine.
Have a disturbing hobby
Perhaps you enjoy preparing and cooking roadkill, ie flattened pheasants and rabbits with their heads bashed in, in the shared kitchen? Or collecting news clippings about Lorraine Kelly then discussing them at length? Or simply growing marijuana? There is no need anyone to know about this before they sign the tenancy agreement.
Have no filters
Give the impression you’ve been raised by robots rather than humans by saying things like: ‘I expect your acne problem means you have difficulty meeting women, Steve’ or ‘I was just wondering, Gemma, does your obesity affect your periods?’
