You thought living together would lead to a harmonious, romantic and ideal home life.

Little did you know that you’d end up bickering over bin liners, fighting over the remote control and having to explain how to separate the whites from the darks. After a week of cohabitation, he’s looking less like your handsome hero and more like your student flatmate from hell.

‘You never truly know a person until you live with them. You’ll realise you learn more about them in a week of living together than years of dating,’ says iVillager Pingery.

But don’t give up hope yet as you can deal amicably with these snags — and his newly discovered habits — with these tips, before you feel inclined to dispose of him.

Problem: he’s a slob
Solution: delegate the chores

‘Assign your significant other the dedicated duty of your choice, based upon what you think he needs to work on. My significant other has a problem with toothpaste. It gets everywhere, so it is his job to clean the bathroom frequently or when asked. Now there’s rarely a toothpaste smear anywhere.’ —passion8

‘What you need to do is stop doing everything for him and stop doing anything that isn’t absolutely necessary. When he has no clean boxers, he will do the laundry. Don’t do everything and see what happens.’ —jezibelle

Problem: who pays the bills?
Solution: open a joint account

‘We have three accounts: mine, his and a joint one. We both put the same amount in the joint account, since we earn roughly the same amount. Another alternative is to pay a percentage of your salary if there is a large discrepancy between salaries. For example, you each contribute 50% of your monthly salary into the joint account to pay household bills. It works very well for us.’ —terid99

Problem: every disagreement becomes an argument
Solution: learn to argue fairly

‘I think the best thing to do is find time you and he can have a heart-to-heart and try to communicate with him, without blaming or putting him on the defensive. Don’t say things like, “You always”, or “You never”. Instead say, “I feel like this”. Then just try really hard to accept him the way he is and appreciate his good qualities.’ —jezibelle

‘When you have expressed your concern, let him answer. However, don’t interrupt or get defensive. Give him his chance to express his own feelings about the relationship.’ —Pattipie30

Problem: your stuff and his stuff clash
Solution: start thinking ‘ours,’ not ‘yours’ and ‘mine’

‘When we first moved in together, we had to solve a lot of style issues. I wasn’t used to his stuff and my stuff together. We figured out that we both had systems and quirks that sometimes would clash. The biggest change is that I now share everything: My space, my bathroom and even the ice in my freezer. Once you get used to the words ‘ours’ and ‘we’ the rest falls into place.’ —moogey

The biggest lesson you’ll learn: it’s not all about him, it’s about you too. Moogey writes, ‘The best part about living with someone is that you learn a tremendous amount about yourself. You learn what you hate, what you really don’t care about, and, most of all, how you can resolve conflicts with someone you care deeply about.’

Why not swop advice on co-habiting with fellow iVillagers on the Highs and Lows of Being a Couple message board. Take a look at some of the LIVE discussions happening on the board right now: