Moving into your first home with your partner is an important milestone in your relationship, but it’s not a decision to be made lightly.
Taking this next step in life can be scary and there are a few basic things to know about your significant other if you’re going to give it the best chance of success.
Pet peeves, annoying habits, and main breakup reasons – the results are from a survey undertaken by the specialists at Hammonds Fitted Furniture. Whether it’s the first time you’re cohabiting or you’ve given it a go before, knowing the UK’s most irritating habits can help you identify whether any of these are a deal breaker for you and if you’re ready to make this leap with your loved one.
Before you move in together, here are four questions you should ask yourself:
Are They Your Person?
Even though you might spend all hours of the day with them, and it seems like you’re living together already, actually cohabiting in the same home is a different ball game. In this setting, annoying habits that didn’t bother you so much before can become more noticeable so knowing what these are can help you get ahead of potential fall outs.
Hammond’s survey of 2,000 UK adults found that the top five annoying partner habits included:
- Not listening (51%)
- Snoring (42%)
- Leaving out the washing up (39%)
- Avoiding household tasks (35%)
- Stealing bed covers at night (35%)
Do You Have Good Communication?
The key to any strong, healthy relationship is communication but it is something that many couples struggle with. Topics like mental health and finances can be considered taboo, making it difficult for them to become conversations but these are vital when moving in with each other. You need to know exactly what each other wants from their future and be aware of each other’s boundaries.
When it comes to nagging, 38% of men admitted that this is an irritating habit and 3% would even break up with their partner over it. Once this boundary is identified for your significant other, it’s important to respect it and develop a different response or behaviour.
Are You Both On The Same Page?
You’d like to think that if your partner is moving in with you, it’s for the right reasons rather than to solve another problem. This could get you into a spiral and is likely to create more issues in the long term. Figure out what you both want, like and expect from the future.
Understanding what you expect from one another and the behaviours you find unacceptable will help make the process go smoother. For example, Hammonds found that talking negatively about in-laws (650,000) and smoking/vaping (1.1m) are break-up-worthy offences. Knowing what triggers your partner will help you determine whether long-term compatibility is possible.
Are You In A Good Position?
Being in a good position financially is vital when making this big commitment. Moving into a new home isn’t cheap so having stable jobs and good credit scores will help you to feel secure in your new life together.
Also, there needs to be clear instructions on how the costs and responsibilities of your home will be split between you.
