High bills, fees, new roommates on the way: here are 5 of the many messages a college student would never want to see on his or her cell phone screen and related solutions for dealing with them as best as possible.

1. The transfer

“I’ve decided: I’m changing universities, I’m moving to Bologna!”

You were sure you had finally found the roommate of your dreams, who doesn’t throw crazy parties and who occasionally cooks for everyone.
Perfect in short. Or maybe not.
Yes, because all these months your tenant was secretly facing an existential crisis that will eventually take him to another city.

But how to react to the ugliest WhatsApp message ever?

Even before the bitter farewell to the roommate, think about the bureaucratic aspects of the change-read your lease to find out how many months’ notice is required and thus the time you will have to look for the best possible replacement.
You will need to know more about “taking over” leases, its modalities and costs, as well as due dialogue with the property owner.

Now that you have the necessary knowledge, you are ready to find the next “kindred spirit” by posting your ad and following our 10 rules for finding the ideal tenant. Happy research!

2. The TASI

“TASI has arrived, but who has to pay it?”

Whenever the letter carrier buzzes you always hope he is delivering the “package from down” (or “from up”), instead it’s something to pay-and not just bills: real taxes too, like TASI.

TASI, or “Tax on Indivisible Services,” is a fee payable forall public services we use (e.g., maintenance and street lighting) and everyone who lives in or owns property is required to pay it.

So who pays TASI, the landlord or the tenant?
If the lease lasts more than 6 months, the tenant must also pay it, but only in part: from 10 to 30 percent of the total amount. The remaining amount is the responsibility of the property owner.
TASI varies from municipality to municipality, and it is important to know how it is calculated and how it works, as well as to check with your homeowner before paying your share.

3. The party right before your exam

“But when do you have the exam? I only invited 3 friends, a quiet pizza.”

When you see that message you suddenly foresee the future, so you reply, “The pizza will definitely be quiet, it’s you I’m worried about.”
He reassures you, and you believe him. By 3:00 a.m. the three friends have become ten, and one of them is “momentarily” settled on your bed waiting to awaken from a nap that resembles an alcoholic coma.
Here, this could be one of 5 behaviors that let you know that living together with your roommate has come to an end.

4. The GAS bill.

“The GAS bill has arrived…”

Those three ellipses at the end of the WhatsApp message make you suspect that the bill also has three zeros. How could this happen?
Will it be because of the time you left the radiators on even at night, or because you went home for the Christmas holidays for a fortnight and forgot to turn off the thermostat?

If this is your case, read our simple energy saving decalogue who will teach you how to reduce bills with a few tricks; on the other hand, if you don’t understand how such a high bill could have come to you because you are consumption-conscious, then a’self-reading could be the solution to your problem.

Have you never done a self-reading?

Self-reading is the reporting of one’s gas, water, and electricity consumption, which can be done independently or by an appointed person at home.
When you are a college student, it is almost impossible to be at home when the person in charge visits; simply report your reading online, following the instructions you will find on the provider’s website and reading the actual consumption figure on the screen of your meter.

Why take a self-reading?

In homes that have housed students for many years, people often forget or give no weight to the self-reading of their utilities, finding themselves with figures on their bills that do not correspond to their consumption but to estimates made on the basis of data such as previous bills, square meters of the home, etc…
If the consumption you report is lower than estimated, you will find a refund in the following bills in the form of a “rebate” on the amount due.
It’s worth checking: you might even get a few bills of 0!

5. The “blackout”

“Come home right away, the power went out, they cut our power!”

It’s Friday night, you’ve gone out to dinner and you’ve left the roommates, maybe freshmen on their first experience away from home, to get ready for the evening but after about fifteen minutes they ask you where you put the Ikea candles because they’re in the dark?

Don’t let it ruin your evening!
Here are some steps you can easily communicate to him via phone:

1. Check that in the house socket panel all the levers are up, if they are not then turn them up.

2. If the light does not come back investigate how many appliances were being used at the same time while they were getting ready (straightener, hair dryer, stove to heat the room) and ask that they be limited to one or two.

3. If that doesn’t bring the light back on either, access the external meter and raise that lever as well, which is lowered if energy consumption exceeds the maximum threshold.

…and good coexistence!