House Share...Good or Bad?

abc1989

I just want to get everyone's views on House/Flat Sharing..

Have you had a bad experience?
Would you ever rent your spare room?
Would you feel comfortable a stranger living in your house?
Etc...

I'm thinking of renting a room, but just want to get a general opinion of what people think of house/Flat sharing

FTBFun

You may want to post this on the House Buying and Renting forum, to get a better response.

I have flatshared before, but not with a live in landlord or as one, so don't think I can really help you out much.

lostinrates

Dh has been a Mon-Fri lodger while in London. His LL became a very good friend For lodgers is a great situation of a flat fee with no hassle of dividing bills etc.

we have also taken a lodger and in the main found it a positive experience.

As a student I flat shared and the feeling is very diferent. Still very fun though. Personally I'd lodge not share with a house owner, and as an owner I'd take a lodger not a sharer, for similar reasons. ''sharing'' with an owner...splitting bills etc IMO is more likely to lead to tension than lodging.

PasturesNew

I tried lodgers once, in the area's highest water bills area I got one who thought it OK to rinse his wetsuit for a whole hour in the shower after surfing. And the girl who thought it fine to have two blokes stay the night after clubbing .... and wander into the kitchen in her dressing gown to nuke porridge at 10am when she knew I used the house "for business" and had a designers' meeting on.

Then I became a lodger .... and it turned out she was an escort girl, with the bailiffs after her, who had 7 different bf's so they could buy her stuff. And she was drink driving one night and hit a neighbour's skip at about midnight, something else I had to sort out.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

House/flat sharing is different to being/taking a lodger. In a house/flat share, the occupants all have equal use of the communal rooms and are on equal terms. As a lodger you're a weird sort of guest paying for limited access to someone else's house. I guess the important thing is to clearly define this access in advance, otherwise it will lead to tedious, petty arguments about long showers, excessive useage of bog roll etc.

abc1989

I viewed a flatshare, I really like it fully furnished, city centre, "right side" of town, close to everything and it's reasonably priced

£275.00 pcm plus bills, I have done a bit of research of other flatshares in the area and most of them are being advertised for around £350/£400pcm plus bills.

Quite interesting to hear about other peoples opinions of flatshares and lodgers etc.
Keep them coming, I'd love to know! !

FTBFun

abc1989 wrote: »

I viewed a flatshare, I really like it fully furnished, city centre, "right side" of town, close to everything and it's reasonably priced

£275.00 pcm plus bills, I have done a bit of research of other flatshares in the area and most of them are being advertised for around £350/£400pcm plus bills.

Quite interesting to hear about other peoples opinions of flatshares and lodgers etc.
Keep them coming, I'd love to know! !

Did you meet whom you will be sharing with? My worst experience with one was where it was really an HMO and I had some not very good flatmates.

Oldernotwiser

House shares can be good or bad. However, if you're getting someone in to share your house (which I've done several times) I think that you need to think of the money more than anything else. I decided that I would rather have the 60 quid to go out a few nights a week rather than sitting looking at the 4 walls every night, thinking how great it was to have the place to myself.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

abc1989 wrote: »

Quite interesting to hear about other peoples opinions of flatshares and lodgers etc.
Keep them coming, I'd love to know! !

My friend shared with a ridiculously hot housemate. Once he was coming out of the bathroom and his towel slipped. The odd treat like that makes up for people nicking your milk and shower gel.

abc1989

FTBFun wrote: »

Did you meet whom you will be sharing with? My worst experience with one was where it was really an HMO and I had some not very good flatmates.

Yes, She showed me around...seems a nice lady. Same age group as myself (always a bonus) and shes very laid back...Works nights (Bonus!)

abc1989

Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »

My friend shared with a ridiculously hot housemate. Once he was coming out of the bathroom and his towel slipped. The odd treat like that makes up for people nicking your milk and shower gel.

:eek:

hmmm, pitty this flatshare would be with another woman!