Living in one of China’s first-tier cities requires money, and many expats can’t afford the luxury of living on their own. While we’re unlikely to move in with someone we don't know in our home countries, in China we often make concessions so we can live in the area we want, in a room we like and near our workplace or our favorite hangouts. But what about the China roommates from Hell? Below are six you might come across in China, which transgress nationality, gender, age and profession.

 
Photo:  Scott Umstattd 

The inconsiderate one

Example 1: Roommate A and Roommate B have been living together for two years. But since Roommate B got dumped by his girlfriend, there’s been a string of young women who he allows to move into his room after a just few weeks of dating. And the girlfriends don't always come unaccompanied. Some bring their rabbits and cats, who mess up the furniture and pee everywhere. Another girlfriend is unemployed so just hangs around the house all day, leaving tea rings on the kitchen countertop, eating all the food and running up the bills.

Example 2: Roommate A generally keeps to herself, yet every so often she hosts load and rowdy parties in her room. These involve numerous girls occupying the bathroom at any given moment so that Roommate B cannot shower or use the toilet without waiting in line.

Example 3: Roommate A eats Roommate B’s food all the time and never replaces it. Roommate B comes home to make dinner and finds his recently bought steak has been scoffed and his cheese is melting on the counter. He drinks Roommate A’s beer in retaliation.

The dirty one

Example 1: Roommate A leaves a half-eaten pizza (with box) in the sink, soggy and gathering roaches for over a week and yet washes the plate. In addition, he uses watermelon rind as an ashtray and doesn’t wash his towels for months at a time. He hangs the towels on communal furniture to dry and makes the whole apartment stink.

Example 2: Roommate A doesn't see anything wrong with leaving a half-eaten cereal bowl, complete with a spoon, in the refrigerator for over a week along with take-out food still stabbed with molding chopsticks.

Example 3: Roommate A hawks phlegm into the bathroom sink and floor and lets it crust there.

The dodgy one

Example 1: Roommate A comes home to find dirty dog prints all over her room. She realizes it’s not because hyper Roommate B has another new pet-owning girlfriend, but because he’s a drug dealer. The narcotics police came in with sniffer dogs, found 300 grams of coke and took him away for a 10-year stretch in prison.

Example 2: Roommate A lies and says his work visa is all in order. He has to leave the country two months later because he was caught working on a tourist visa, causing him to get deported. Roommate B is suddenly saddled with all the rent.

The noisy one

Example 1: Obnoxious Roommate A doesn't see the problem with Skyping his girlfriend in America between the hours of 2am and 7am, every weekday, outside Roommate B’s door. He also laughs raucously and reads out loud.

Example 2: Roommate A gets woken up at night because Roommate B often has drunken screaming fights with her boyfriend at 5am. Her tantrums usually involve kicking and throwing things, while the boyfriend sits outside her room, crying and knocking on the door.

The irresponsible one

Example 1: Roommate A lets the electricity run out every time it’s his turn to pay. The worst time is mid summer when it’s 40 degrees. Roommate B sits and sizzles, inside and out.

Example 2: Roommate A doesn’t mind showering in cold water in the summer so she doesn't pay the hot water bill. The hot water runs out while Roommate B is washing a ton of conditioner out of her hair. Roommate B has greasy hair for a week.

Example 3: Drunken Roommate A comes home late one night and falls into a wall, making a rather ugly face-shaped hole.

The cheap one

Example 1: Stingy Roommate A asks to split the extra 40 Mao on an Internet bill of 165.40 RMB.

Example 2: Roommate A always uses up the last of the butter and bread. She buys milk one time and demands 8 RMB from Roommate B.

Example 3: Roommate A comes home from work to find Roommate B and Roommate C clinging to each other’s throats because Roommate B decided to up and leave without finding a replacement yet still wants her deposit.

Do you recognize any of the above scenarios? Have you had any nightmare roommates in China? Tell us about them in the comments section below!

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Keywords: China roommates