House/flat sharing with strangers - have you had good experiences?

Cubanista

Hi,




I have been looking to move out recently as feeling very held back living at home. I have been looking around at flats in the area, but to be quite frank, the flats are horrible and cost more money they should per month.


The area i live in is quite poverty ridden and is known as a bit of a dump lol, well most parts anyway. I am desperate to move out now as currently my parents live in the sticks and at 25 going on 26 i really need my own privacy at least.




So my own flat seems a bit of a stretch too far at the moment due to income, then factoring in all the other stuff like appliances, furnishing the place, council tax and utility bills it works out too much for a grubby little place.


I have been looking into flat/house sharing too, but I'm a bit tentative about moving in with strangers, especially because this area has a lack of upstanding citizens to say the least.




Should i bite the bullet and look into sharing a property and renting a room?


How were your experiences of sharing with people, especially strangers?


Thanks,


Cubanista

gettingtheresometime

never judge a book by its cover is my motto

Quackers1

My last three lodgings have been house shares (I only left the last two because the owners sold the property!). My advice would be to go for it!

carefullycautious

Hi, what about advertising for someone who may be in the same situation as you to rent a property together. You can then meet up with any applicants and see who you hit it off with. Do you have friends who are thinking about moving out?

Person_one

Cubanista wrote: »

I have been looking into flat/house sharing too, but I'm a bit tentative about moving in with strangers, especially because this area has a lack of upstanding citizens to say the least.

You live there, don't you?

How would you feel if somebody didn't want to share with you just because of where you come from?

JReacher1

Worse case scenario you hate it and so move back home.

There is nothing wrong with house sharing with strangers.

The only downside is you tend to get quite a lot of changes e.g people move out and then in fairly regularly.

Personally I would try and find somewhere with an ensuite as sharing bathrooms can cause arguments over timings

gettingready

I am much older than you but having accepted a job that was not commutable (which I realised after 2 weeks of spending 5+ plus per day on public transport with several changes - nightmare) - I am renting a Mon-Fri room close to work.

This is my second room in 3 months. First was ok-ish but landlady was a bit of a hoarder and we had very different cleanliness/tidiness standards. So after a few weeks I started looking for another place.

My current one is ok so far.

Main thing - renting a room with landlord on premises is not the same as moving into a house share where everyone is on the same rights.

Renting a room normally you will have all the bills included in room price. In house shares you will normally share all the bills on top of the rent amount.

I was very specific what I was looking for (no noisy sharers, no students, no children in the house I was looking for a quiet, nice room with own en suite bathroom with other professionals in the house).

I was also looking for just one week deposit and one week in advance (most want one month deposit and one month in advance) - just in case things did not work out I can move out fast.

i found exactly what I wanted and 10 min walk to work.

try https://www.spareroom.co.uk

as well as the old good Gumtree

Put your own ads on both. Ask for photos of the room/house and which area are shared, info about other people living there etc etc.

Good luck

Anatidaephobia

I've lived with eight or nine strangers (not at the same time!) and never had a bad experience. The least good experience was living with someone who I had nothing in common with and who didn't do the dishes or tidy up after themselves as often as I would've preferred. The best experiences were becoming good friends with the person I was living with.

KARO

It's impossible to predict, unfortunately, but you are right to be cautious if it's in a rough area. It's bad enough having undesirables as neighbours, let alone having to live with them.

PeacefulWaters

I can't talk for your area. But then do you have to stay in the area?

Ive recently become a lodger in somebody's home, found through the Sparerooms site linked above.

It's not cheap. But it's cheaper than renting alone.

Some initial observations from my experience:

I like the family I'm living with. While I tend to keep myself to myself I'm not completely isolated.

My presence in their home has invalidated their contents insurance. While that's been resolved with a new provider, my stuff is uninsured.

I miss having a bathroom on the same floor as my bedroom. At 47 I tend to have to pay a visit at 4am or thereabouts each morning! There are no locks on the bathroom doors! There are three bathrooms between four people. So far there's been no clash!

I've been provided with bedding and towels. Don't assume this is automatic.

My rent includes bills but not food. I'm paying £15 a week extra for all food. My landlord has cooked for me every night so far! I've occasionally stacked the dishwasher! I'm assuming I'll have to cook at some stage.

My clothes have been washed at the same time as others which is convenient and helpful. There is a big drying area for clothes which keeps them out of my room.

I can be kicked out at a week's notice.

Internet and a half decent Virgin TV package is included, along with a TV. I also have a heater in my bedroom in addition to a thermostat controlled radiator.

My wardrobe space is severely limited. There's a big space where I can iron my clothes if needed.

I feel that I have reasonable privacy and freedom. More than in other rooms I looked at.

It's an ideal interim solution for me while I sort out a divorce. I don't think it's something I could do long term.

I'd suggest you read the above and ask questions about all those things before renting a room. Every arrangement might be slightly different.

summerspring

Cubanista wrote: »

Hi,
I have been looking to move out recently as feeling very held back living at home. I have been looking around at flats in the area, but to be quite frank, the flats are horrible and cost more money they should per month.

The area i live in is quite poverty ridden and is known as a bit of a dump lol, well most parts anyway. I am desperate to move out now as currently my parents live in the sticks and at 25 going on 26 i really need my own privacy at least.

So my own flat seems a bit of a stretch too far at the moment due to income, then factoring in all the other stuff like appliances, furnishing the place, council tax and utility bills it works out too much for a grubby little place.

I have been looking into flat/house sharing too, but I'm a bit tentative about moving in with strangers, especially because this area has a lack of upstanding citizens to say the least.

Should i bite the bullet and look into sharing a property and renting a room?

How were your experiences of sharing with people, especially strangers?

What will happen is that you swap your family for another "family" ie flatmates, the difference being, flatmates don't give a t0ss about you or your wellbeing, unlike your family.

I totally understand you saying that at 25 or 26 you need your space, but you'd be far better off taking a 2nd job and saving up to get a place of your own than giving money to a slum landlord and possibly living with the most annoying, awful flatmates, which is what could well happen.