Moving to Uni will always expose you to people from all walks of life, and you might get put in a flat with some of the more unusual ones. Chances are you'll love your flat and everyone in it - we know people to this day who still live with their first year flatmates. But sometimes, just once every now and again, you'll realise you live with a nightmare.

Luckily for you, we’ve been there before and know all of the essential survival tips to get you through the year. Grab your post-it notes, buy some earplugs, and lock your door - here are seven of the most common housemates you’ll meet while studying;

1. The Control Freak

Did you leave your plate on the table after lunch for longer than five minutes? Did you forget to pick up your post for one day? Too busy to take out the bin the second it gets full? Prepare for passive aggressive post-it notes if you live with the Control Freak.

This person will be your brand new Mum or Dad, whether you want them to or not. They see it as their personal job to ensure everything in the flat gets done as quickly and efficiently as possible. They’ll plan all the trips out, write up a chores chart, and probably write their name on all of their plates, cutlery, and food (which could come in handy against the Scrounger, but more on them later).

If you don’t like vaguely threatening messages with smiley faces on them, never cross the Control Freak. You have been warned.

2. The Mess

The bane of the Control Freak’s existence, every flat has a messy member.

You know you’ve got an untidy flat mate if there’s an ever-present odour coming from their room, and it almost always looks like they’ve been burgled. To them, it’s organised chaos; just ask them, they’ll know exactly where to find their first-year student handbook or their takeaway receipts for the past three months.

The kitchen will be perennially littered with open jars, mysterious stains, and dishes full of last month’s curry leftovers. And like some kind of nasty ninja, the Mess can swoop in and make even the most freshly cleaned kitchens look like a tornado has hit them in seconds.

All you can do is buy some extra-strength air freshener and ten pairs of marigolds, and attempt to repress the memories of that stain in the back of the fridge. *Shudder*

3. The Scrounger

Oh no, you left your bottle of coke on the kitchen countertop for ten minutes! Well, say goodbye to your favourite fizzy drink – there’s a 100% chance it’s been nicked if you live with the Scrounger.

It’s been going on for months now – your milk disappears in a day even though you’ve been out, you always seem to have one less packet of crisps than you’re supposed to, and you seem to go through bread like nobody’s business, all of it stolen by a literal thief in the night.

There’s only one culprit – you’ve never seen the Scrounger buy any of those essential items, but they’re always mysteriously well fed. In fact, their fridge is practically empty, except for – wait, is that your jam?

Sometimes you wonder how they even survive, but then you look in the cupboard and realise that not only is your cereal completely gone, but the empty box has been left there as a clever ruse to trick you. Clever Scrounger. Clever, clever Scrounger.

4. The Sharer

The yin to the Scrounger's yang, the light to their darkness, the chalk to their cheese - you'll never have to buy bread again if you live with the Sharer.

A rare breed of carefree flatmate, this person trusts everyone they meet instantly and would never say anything against a fellow house mate, even if someone is clearly taking the michael.

Do you need a bit of milk for your morning brew? A can of beer when you're skint? A spare bed for your cousin's friend's sister to stay in? Don't worry, the Sharer will sleep on the couch. This person will give you everything they own if you just ask, and sometimes you don't even have to do that.

A godsend when it's the week before Student Finance comes in and you blew your whole loan in the first three days, you should thank your lucky stars that you live with a literal angel.

5. The Party Animal

Usually best friends with the Mess (and in some cases they are the same person), nobody will get any sleep with the Party Animal around.

Their fridge is permanently stocked with beer, and their bedroom door is always open, subjecting the rest of the flat to their ear-splittingly loud music. They don’t know the meaning of the word ‘revise’, but remember all the lyrics to their favourite football chant or club track, as you will surely find out at 4am on Saturday morning.

One thing to look out for is the constant stream of people you’ve never met before wandering in and out of your kitchen – so always make sure you’re fully clothed around the house or risk being peeped in your pants by a party-goer.

6. The Hermit

The polar opposite of the Party Animal, the Hermit is a rare sight around the flat.

Like a ghost, you never quite know if they’re in their room or if they moved on months ago – in fact, living with the Hermit is a lot like an episode of Spring Watch with Bill Oddy.

Only coming out of their hole to feed, the Hermit is usually hard at work writing essays that aren’t due for another two years, declining all attempts to socialise in favour of the company of their laptop keyboard.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, some Hermits just don’t like human company and will lounge around watching Netflix, eating junk food, and playing on their Xbox One instead of spending any amount of time in the presence of actual people.

The Hermit is the most mysterious addition to any flat, but isn’t a particularly offensive housemate to have around. Just be prepared for a shock if you ever do spot them. Did they always look like that? You simply can’t remember.

7. The Shoulder to Cry On

Sometimes it can all get a little bit too much, and at times like these (and the rest of time too) you’ll be thankful for your Shoulder to Cry On.

Always playing Mum (in a good way) this person will listen to you whine for hours on the same topic, with an understanding nod and a sympathetic pat on the shoulder always in their arsenal. If all else fails, the Shoulder usually knows how to cook, bake, or buy comfort food for you at a moment’s notice.  

A great friend to have around, you’ve hit the jackpot with this flat mate. It isn’t hard to do, but always remember to stay on their good side – you don’t want to miss out on all those free therapy sessions, and if you fall out with the Shoulder, you’re gonna need ‘em.

So have you ever experienced any these flat mates? If you don't think so, there's a slight chance you might be one of them.

And while you can't always help who you live with, you can choose everything else. That's where HudLets comes in - you can book your house with us with no painful admin fees, leaving you with more money to spend boarding up your room if necessary.

We can also check your contract, so there'll be no nasty surprises when it comes to your landlord. All you have to do, is deal with your house mates - good luck!