Tag Archives: Houseshare

You’re a House Sharing Student If…

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Some common tell tale signs that you are house sharing student if…

  • you average to get only four hours sleep a night.
  • your rubbish bin is overflowing but your bank account isn’t.
  • you are personally keeping the local pizza / fast food take away in business.
  • you wake up ten minutes before class.
  • you wear the same jeans 13 days in a row (without washing them!).
  • your breakfast consists of a can or bottle of coke on the way to class.
  • it takes a shovel to find your bedroom floor.
  • you’ll happily pick 10p off of the floor if you find it.
  • get more sleep in lectures and seminars than in your bed.
  • you can sleep through your housemates blaring stereo.
  • you live in a room that is smaller than most caravans.
  • you have a fine collection of Tesco, Asda or Morrison’s own brand beer.
  • said beer cans make up a wall in your window sill.
  • have you seen two consecutive sunrises without sleeping.
  • you do your laundry only when you’ve run out of underwear.
  • doing your hair consists of putting on a baseball cap.
  • Rustler’s form part of a stable diet.
  • you eat at the university’s cafeteria, even if the food is awful, but only because it’s cheap.

Listing Your Room for Rent

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So, you’ve got a spare room to rent, but not sure what to include in the advert to promote it?  There are certain things which you can include in the advert to make it more appealing to those looking for available rooms.

Be Descriptive, Clear and Honest

When writing about the property, be descriptive and try to paint a picture in the head of the reader of what it is like, in addition, you can add a picture or multiple pictures, so that they can see for themselves.

To save your time and other people’s time in viewing the property, be honest as it will be clear within minutes whether have been or not.  Give a truthful appraisal of the room, flat or house, tell them what the rent covers and whether bills will be charged on top of this and so on, there is a difference to up selling and lying!

Include a Picture

If you incorporate a picture into your advert for the flatshare or houseshare, it will automatically remove any people that are not keen on how it looks.  Someone looking for somewhere to live will be drawn to the advert because of the picture initially and when they are there it is for you to sell the property as well as you can to get them to contact you.

If Shared Accommodation, Tell People About the Existing Tenants

If the property that you are listing is a flatshare or houseshare with existing tenants, tell the reader about them.  This is an important factor for many as getting on with flatmates or housemates can be high on people’s list of priorities when they are looking for somewhere to live.  Don’t go overboard with their details, but elaborate on what their hobbies are, their age and what they do for a living.

Up Sell the Location

Regardless of where the property is located, the area should have key points and nearby amenities that will attract people, for example tell them if it is near to shops, bus or train stations, the town centre or any other places of interests.  They could be looking for somewhere that has certain service nearby and you telling them could be the difference between them contacting you or not.

Arrange for a House Viewing

Once you have people interested in viewing the property, take the time to offer and show them around the property.  People will be able to get a feel for the place and see whether they could live there.  If it is in shared housing or flats, try to get as many of the other tenants to be there so that they can be introduced too.

What Exactly are Flat and House Shares?

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For those those are still unaware of what Flatshares and Houseshares entail, to put it simply, it is when you share accommodation with another person – this could be someone such as a family member or friend or even a complete stranger, which isn’t too uncommon, some even “Buddy Up” which is where people find others looking to share somewhere to live and together search for available properties to rent.

The benefits of sharing accommodation are primarily the financial savings that are made.  Renting or buying a house or flat means that one person has to bare the brunt of all costs, however sharing with other people means that any incurred costs is split, generally equally, amongst all the tenants.

Typically there are two types of landlords with house and flat shares,

  • Those that have rooms to rent in their homes living with a lodger, and these are live in landlords
  • Those that let or rent a room in properties that they own, but do not live in and these are live out landlords

The second of the two is more common within the UK.

Finding flat shares in London, Manchester and the larger cities in the UK are traditionally more common as there is a greater density of people searching for accommodation but with higher costs of living, the most cost effective manner to rent is through sharing accommodation.

If you were to share a flat with one other tenant it would halve your expenses each month and having up to six would mean that you only pay one sixth of the bills.  This is why many students share a house when at university, as it drives down costs and is a cheaper accommodation.

Other benefits of renting a room in a house or flat include, the opportunity to live in a nicer property or location as costs are lower, or some people want to live in shared accommodation as they are more sociable and it is a great way to meet new people and make friends.

Finding the Perfect Houseshare or Flatshare

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Looking for shared accommodation can be a daunting task but by identifying a few simple tips, it will make this job much easier for yourself, you will also benefit from the results in the long term.

Before Starting

Many applications for shared accommodation will involve filling in an application so that you get the best suited options.  Take your time and ensure that it is 100% correct and thought about, this will then make it easier when deciding which property to go for.

Don’t be Boring!

A common mistake is often at the description section of the application, you need to sell yourself as much as possible.  Someone will actually be reading your application and if they feel you will not be suitable – they won’t take it any further.  Just make sure you stand out from the crowd.

Include a Picture

It can help if you include a picture on your profile, this will enable the other person to get a vague idea of the type of person you are.  It won’t hurt in any way so if you are looking for the most responses you should always include a picture.

Understand the Terminology

The most common mistake is the word “double room”, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s for two people; this could cause problems if you are a couple who have just taken on a double room for you both.  Ensure that you understand what you are getting before you take it any further, try our Glossary to find meanings to the terms that you don’t understand.

Viewing the Property

If you have managed to get past the first stage you will then be asked to take a look at the property to see what it is like.  It can help if you take a friend along because it’s not only safer but it helps to get an idea from a third party of what they think.

The Day of the Move

Once you have found the perfect property, make sure you know what it needed for the day of move.  Ensure you understand what you need to do in order to make the process as smooth as possible.

Why Flat Sharing Is Ideal

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There are a number of reasons why people choose to share accommodation as opposed to buying or renting a flat or house on their own.  The main benefits of house or flat sharing are the financial savings.

Shared Accommodation versus Buying a House or Flat

Although flat and house prices have dropped during the recession and are now gradually starting to increase again, they are still generally very expensive and out of reach of people trying to get on the property ladder for the first time.

Flatshares and Houseshares can be a solution for young friends wanting to attain a property; they could purchase a flat or house together and rent out the spare rooms to bring in an extra income to cover payments such as the mortgage, council tax and utilities.  Sometimes renting out the property you own and live in, could be enough to cover the cost of the mortgage.  Home owners can also be eligible for the Rent a Room Scheme which is a government initiative to encourage renting out spare rooms.

Accommodation rentals can be a great way for young people to get on the property ladder without it costing an arm and a leg!

Shared Accommodation versus Individually Renting a House or Flat

For someone to rent a property on their own or even with a friend can still be very expensive as there are additional costs on top of paying the rent such as council tax and utility bills.  Shared accommodation splits these costs between the number of people that are living in the property.

House shares for students are probably the most cost effective means of living whilst at university.

The secret of shared housing and flats are to do your research!  Research flat and house shares in the city which you want to live and then try to meet the existing flat mates or house mates when visiting the property.