You might need to find a place to live or move into and was thinking about house sharing rather than finding a place by yourself. Or you might have to house share because of financial constraints.
We go through the pros and cons of shared accommodation so you can decide if it’s right for you or what to expect.
Pros
1. Cheaper and save money on rent
Having a room where you share accommodation in a house or a flat is cheaper than renting out a whole property by yourself. This will mean, when renting, you will be saving money and also making it more affordable than paying for the whole property yourself.
2. Share the energy cost and bills
When you share a property to rent, you will also be sharing any gas and electricity cost. This will be cheaper than paying the energy bills by yourself.
3. Independence
Sharing a property and having your own accommodation will give you independence, rather than staying at home with parents or family.
4. Bills might be included with rent
Sometimes the bills are included with the rent so you do not have to pay for bills separately. This usually means that your rent would be more expensive than it would have been without the bills included.
However, by having your bills included with your rent means you will not be paying anything extra for bills so this means it will be easier for your to budget your expenditure.
5. Share council tax
If you pay council tax or bills, then you will share the cost, rather than paying it all yourself.
6. Ready made friends
If you share a house, then you will have people there that you can get to know. You will have company and you might get along with some or all of them and become friends.
7. Not be alone or isolated
If you are sharing accommodation with people, it means you will not be alone. Apart from the social aspect of it, some people might be afraid to stay by themselves or alone.
8. Problems shared
If there are any problems, then they will be shared so you are lot dealing with them by yourself. For example, if your heating breaks down, everybody will be contacting the landlord and not just yourself.
Sometimes, you might not have the time, but then somebody else has contacted the landlord already.
9. Better location
By sharing a house rather than getting a property by yourself you might be able to afford to rent in a better location. So you could be closer to your job as an example. Or stay in a better part of town.
10. Borrow from housemates
If share accommodation, then you might be able to borrow things from your fellow tenants if needed.. This might be helpful sometimes. But remember to always give it back or they might not let you borrow any more.
Cons
1. Privacy
Renting in a shared household means there will be less privacy than renting by yourself. Depending on the number of people you are sharing with will affect your privacy more or less.
If there are 4 or more people in a house, most likely there will always be somebody there in the house. So shared facilities like the kitchen might always have somebody there that you will have to share with.
2. Noise
If you are sharing a house then there might always be noise. Somebody is talking with friends or playing music or watching a movie. It will not be like renting by yourself somewhere as far as noise goes.
If you are studying or doing some work at home, then you might have to learn to do it with some noise.
3. Arguments and disagreements
If you are staying in a house with a group of people, then you might sometimes argue over things. Especially as you will be sharing facilities like the kitchen and bathroom.
Sometimes people might not clean up after themselves when using a facility. This can lead to arguments and tension.
4. People moving in and out of the accommodation
If you are renting a room in a shared house, then there might be people moving in and out all the time. This means people you might have got to know well, moving out and new people moving in. Some people might find this stressful.
5. Cleaning
When you are sharing a house with people, you will have to keep on cleaning up after yourself immediately as somebody else might need to use the facility straight after you such as the kitchen.
6. Unsociable housemates or flatmates
Some housemates or flatmates might be unsociable and not want to talk or interact much. If that is the case, then you have to respect that.
7. Unruly Housemates
Some housemates might be unruly and not follow agreed procedures or rules. This can be frustrating, as it can make everybody else’s stay in the accommodation difficult.
8. Theft
Whenever there are a group of people coming together, there will be all sorts of personalities. There might be some dishonest people or people who might steal.
So when house sharing, you must be careful with your valuables and make sure they are put away securely.
Why do people house share?
People need to rent as it is sometimes difficult for a lot of people to be able to buy their own property. And with prices going up for flats and houses, a lot of people find renting is their only option.
Many people find it hard to be able to afford a place to rent by themselves such as a flat or a house. Therefore, renting in a shared accommodation is their only or best option.
When finding a room in a shared house, it can be a bit of a gamble to see if it turns out to be a good place to stay or not.
In addition, prices for renting are going up all the time. The government needs to build more affordable housing for people.
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