Obligations

House Rules

What are house rules?

House rules are a set of guidelines agreed upon by residents to make sure everyone is “on the same page” in terms of expectations around behaviour, contributions to housekeeping and maintenance, respecting privacy and other important issues.

Why are house rules important?

When people who are unrelated come to live together in one house, it is to be expected that they will be quite different from one another. They will have different personalities with different priorities and different expectations. Collectively agreeing on house rules is important because it defines a way of living together that is acceptable to everyone and prevents conflicts from arising unnecessarily. By having an understanding and agreement on house rules, residents can develop a home environment that feels safe and comfortable in which they can grow, recover and move forward.

Examples of house rules:

• Residents will close the door to their unit while listening to the stereo or watching television.
• Residents will write their name on grocery items placed in the fridge.
• Residents will not smoke in the common areas of the house.
• Residents will not touch or move another resident’s belongings left in a common area without permission.
• Residents’ mail will be left in the outdoor mailbox until picked up by the resident it is addressed to.

For more information on the group decision-making process, please refer to your Resident Handbook or contact your Facilitative Housing Worker. Contact Us

House Chores

What are house chores?

All residents are expected to share in the upkeep of their home. House chores are the housekeeping and maintenance tasks residents perform co-operatively to keep the common areas clean and in good shape. Each resident is held accountable for the chore they have agreed to perform. By working together, it is easier to keep the entire house clean.

Why are house chores important?

A clean home creates a healthy and comfortable living environment. Identifying and dividing house chores evenly among the residents ensures that each resident equally contributes to the upkeep of the property on a consistent basis. A co-operative approach helps to minimize resentment or other negative feelings that may arise because of a perceived imbalance in contribution and responsibility. By working together, residents’ can maintain a high level of cleanliness in the house and create a healthy, safe and comfortable place to live for themselves and their fellow housemates.

For more information on the group decision-making process, please refer to your Resident Handbook or contact your Facilitative Housing Worker. Contact Us