Bad cleaning habits 'most likely to spark rows among housemates'

Bad cleaning habits, leaving lights or heating switched on and not taking the rubbish out are among the aspects of house sharing which are most likely to spark rows, research has found.

And one in three (33%) house sharers also said they had been left out of pocket after managing their household bills, according to the survey from energy company E.On.

Those who lost out due to managing bills were left £27 short on average by housemates who never paid up.

Cleaning the house is the subject most likely to cause friction within a household, with one in three (34%) people saying the subject causes frustration.

Around one in five people said that others leaving the lights or heating on left them hot under the collar, while a similar proportion got annoyed about rubbish not being taken out.

More than 2,050 people who share a home with their partner, friends or housemates took part in the survey.

It also found that leaving the washing up, letting food go off and not replacing household items when they run out were among the top issues people argue about with others in their home.

E.On recently launched a pilot scheme called "smart pay as you go", to help people track their exact energy spending.

Here are the top issues people argue with their housemates about, according to the survey, followed by the percentage of people who said they argue about this:

1. Cleaning the house, 34%

2. Leaving the lights or heating switched on, 22%

3. Taking the rubbish out, 21%

4. Leaving the washing up for others to do, 19%

=5. Wasting energy, 18%

=5. Letting food go off, 18%

=5. Not replacing household essentials when they run out, 18%

=8. The household temperature, 15%

=8. Hogging the TV, 15%

10. Leaving items on standby or plugged in, 12%