Shared Accommodation

A flatshare is when you share a flat with one or more other people.  You may have your own room, or alternatively you may share a twin-bedded or double-bedded room with another person.  Oftentimes the flat is already set up and there is one room available for rent.  Viewing the flat is as much an interview to see how you will get along with the other flatmates as it is to check out the property!  

It is important to carefully consider the type of living situation you may be moving into. 

How many bathrooms are available to share between how many people? 

In a 4 bed flat, 4 people showering in the morning is very different from 7 or 8, so are there couples living in the flat? 

What do the tenants of the flat do for work? 

Do they earn enough to always make rent payments on time? 

How are utility bills divided amongst the tenants? 

Are you moving in with a group of university students who tend to party and go clubbing during the week? 

Just as the tenants of the flat will have a number of questions to ask before inviting you to move in, you should have a list of reasonable questions to ask your potential flatmates to ensure that you will be happy living with them. 

Good flatshares are snapped up quickly so it is important to know what you’re looking for and be ready to say yes very soon after viewing.  A holding deposit will often be required to show you’re serious about taking the room.  Tenancy agreements in flatshares are often quite flexible and usually a month’s notice at any point of the year is all that is required to vacate the property.

Various websites feature shared accommodation, such as:

www.gumtree.com/

www.flatshare.com/london-flat-share/. 

The Loot is a classified publication that lists properties by area and by type.  It is an excellent resource for flat-hunters, and also has a website that offers an early bird feature, alerting subscribers to new flats on the market before they are published in the newspaper.