In the world of Friends, it seems like everybody lives with everybody else at least once - Rachel moves in with Monica, then Joey, then Ross, Phoebe lived with Monica, then Rachel, Joey and Chandler live together, then Chandler lives with Monica, Ross moves in with Joey and Chandler... it's all just a big game of musical apartments set in New York City.
Maybe the reason that they are constantly moving around is because of relationships and financial situations... or maybe it's because they are actually terrible roommates, and just can't stomach living together anymore. Despite wanting their incredible, rent-controlled apartments in the Village, we wouldn't actually want to have to live with any of them to get it.
When Chandler Broke Into Monica's Closet
When Chandler and Monica move in together, he slowly starts to learn the apartment's secrets... and asks a questions that fans had had for a long time: what was behind that door next to the bathroom? It never gets opened, and Chandler soon learns that it is kept locked - and Monica tells him it is private, and asks him not to open it. So what does Chandler do? Breaks into it, with power tools, rather than respect her privacy.
When Monica Lost Their Apartment In A Bet
Generally, big decisions about the apartment should go through both roommates... and don't happen because one person gets carried away. Of course, if you live with Monica, that might not happen. When Monica gets upset over the question of who knows each other better, they decide to bet on it... and when Chandler says they should bet their apartment, Rachel scoffs and shakes her head, while Monica agrees on the spot. And then, of course, they lose the apartment! Not exactly a democracy in that space.
When Rachel Set The Apartment On Fire
Admittedly, this was an accident, but it's also a pretty big deal!!
When Phoebe and Rachel lived together, Rachel managed to leave her hair straighteners on, and they caught fire... and the entire place was burned. Of course, Phoebe is hardly blameless in this either - she admits that she leaves incense burning all the time, and in another episode, she nearly sets her dollhouse (left unattended on Monica's table) on fire the same way. No one wants a roommate this careless!
When Joey Got Them Robbed
Again, this wasn't intentional, but pretty much everything about this storyline is a problem, in terms of being a good roommate. For one thing, Joey decides to build a massive piece of furniture without any input from Chandler, and then he nearly kills Chandler by drilling through the wall right next to his head!
When the unit is built, it's way too big, and keeps ripping Chandler's clothes when he tries to squeeze by, and then when he finally tries to sell it, he acts like a naive idiot... getting locked inside while someone robs them.
When Ross Became The Fun Police
Ross isn't exactly known as the most laid back of the Friends gang (clearly it's a Gellar trait), but as a roommate, he's basically the fun police. He moves in temporarily with Chandler and Joey, and even though he's essentially a guest, he completely took over. He started running his humidifier constantly, and then expected everyone to pay for filters. He imposed his rules on his hosts, and then started asking them to keep the noise down... if this is him as a guest, as a roommate he must be shocking!
When Monica Wouldn't Let Rachel Move Anything
Monica is known for being a little bit of a control freak when it comes to her apartment - even when it's not just hers! After Rachel moved in, she started to make a couple of small suggestions for changes in the apartment - moving a footstool so it could be extra seating, or adding a lamp that she liked... and Monica was having none of it. It actually became a bit of an ongoing argument, which is ridiculous considering that they both lived there!
When Phoebe Adopted A Box Of Rats
Phoebe's quirks would make her a difficult roommate at the best of times, but this one is actually taking things too far. When she is living with Mike, he learns that she feeds a rat that lives in the walls - and when he accidentally kills the rat, she adopts the babies, carrying them around in a box. We're all for cute animals, but encouraging and feeding rats in New York is just a terrible and dangerous idea.
Basically Everything About Joey And Janine
Joey is, all in all, a pretty awful roommate. He's not ideal with Chandler or Rachel, but his time with Janine is the worst. For starters, he picks a roommate based on how attractive he finds her, which is incredibly creepy. Then he hits on her friends, before hitting on her.
He gets upset at her putting her things around the common area, and even picking up after him a little - not because he dislikes it, but because his friends tell him it is too 'girly'. Yikes.
When Phoebe Snuck A Dog In
Roommates should really be honest with each other - maybe not about literally everything, but definitely about the things that are relevant to their shared space. And when it comes to pets, it's just not ok to have secrets - especially when an allergy is involved. However, when Chandler claims (admittedly, falsely) that he is allergic to dogs, Phoebe sneaks one into their guest room where she is staying. If he hadn't been lying, she could have sent him to hospital.
When Rachel Refuses To Move
Even when moving out, these guys just can't seem to be decent human beings to each other. Monica and Chandler wanted to move their relationship to the next level, and move in together... which meant Rachel moving out. But first, she agreed because (as she told Monica), she just didn't believe it would happen (way to be supportive, Rach!) and then when it became clear it was happening, she flat out refused to move. Monica took her in when they hadn't spoken for years, and then Rachel stomped her foot like a child, and tried to unpack her boxes while yelling at Monica (who was, admittedly, re-packing them and yelling back). Wow.