Living in a bedsit - Experiences?

Nicolefury

Right, heres my story.

Been lurking in this part of the forum for a while. I'm a part time shop assistant/full time student who moved out of home last year.

I moved into a shared house with strangers, and hated it because of the one girl who was a complete headcase.

In a few weeks my lease is up. I was meant to be getting a house with my oh and some of his mates, but this has all fell through.

I've found a bedsit online for 350pcm, including water and heating. I know I could afford it, but I just don't know what a bedsit really is like?

Thoughts?

Generali

They're a lot like a house share only for people that don't want to talk to their cohabitees.

Sounds ideal for your situation. I enjoyed sharing houses by and large but I think I got lucky, mostly. I felt sorry for my housemates having to share with me!

Bismarck

It will give you chance to find out more about yourself...I will look back at my experience fondly as it was my first real move from home, other than to university. It was cold, not pleasant and sometimes a bit sparse but it was character-forming!

poppysarah

Shared bathroom? Sounds horrid.
Cooking in the room you sleep. Sounds horrid.

Better than being homeless though.

Nicolefury

I don't get why people have such an issue with sharing a bathroom, when you live at home you have to live with your families bathroom habits. BTW, the one I'm looking at has its own shower room so none of that

Bf109

Bedsits are fine providing you have your own bathroom and toilet and provided you are there by yourself and not sharing with others.

clutton_2

i loved my first bedsit - freedom to be messy, sleep in late, cook what i wanted ... great stuff

PasturesNew

You've not actually said what sort of bedsit yours is, as the word can cover many scenarios, but going on the responses you've had above, I am guessing you don't have your own loo.

I live in a studio flat. A completely self-contained one totalling about 15' square (inc the kitchen/shower room). I have a small living room (9x14) with a sofa bed, a dinky kitchen. My own shower/loo. I pay £350 just for rent, then water, council tax, heating and all the usual other bills are paid by me too as it's just the same as a 1-bed flat (just very small and without a bedroom).

It's great. Your space is your space.

Re cooking smells, you do have to be mindful of that. I only cook things that smell (sausages, onions) or things that generate steam (boiled spuds, rice) when I can open the windows. I am on the ground floor so security conscious and don't like to have the windows wide open when it's dark outside and I'm sat here alone boiling spuds!

When I do my washing I have to dry it in here too, on an airer for 3 days. Again, I have to think about my washing drying and the smell of cooking.

Additionally in this space I work from home. So I have an entire separate PC/desk/leather chair set up to work from.

Sharing sucks if the people you're living with are out of sync with your timetable and lifestyle. Go for it!

Bismarck

Bf109 wrote: »

Bedsits are fine providing you have your own bathroom and toilet and provided you are there by yourself and not sharing with others.

Hmmm, so what defines a bedsit then? If you've got you're own toilet and bathroom isn't it a flat?

Mine was a proper bedsit, 3rd floor up in an ancient house with a small window looking out, carpets on the stairs leading up that were never cleaned and a shared toilet and bathroom on the landing below....I worked out or played sport did sport every day and showered elsewhere.

The electric meter was a rip-off and at winter it was so cold I had to sleep in my dressing gown and I could see my breath in the morning.......happy days.....

PasturesNew

As I see it, these tend to be the main offerings:

1] A self-contained flatlet with a bedsitting room, proper kitchen, showerroom (bath if you're lucky), also known as a studio. Separately registered for council tax and separate/self-contained in every way exactly like any normal 1-bed flat but smaller and with 0 bedrooms. This is what I have.

2] Originally starting as a house, it has been sub-divided into self-contained bedsits by one landlord. Each room is self-contained, and contains a mini-kitchenette functionality but due to the division the landlord might find it easier to run one heating system throughout and one hot water system throughout. You would be living in your room and entertaining your friends in your room. No sense of sharing. You'd see your room as "your gaff". I am not sure where these sit in the council tax scheme of things.

After that I see varying degrees of sharing kitchens/bathrooms with some having en-suite rooms. You're mainly self-contained, but will encounter other people in the same building and share some services with them. There is a sense of sharing and probably see your room as "your gaff" more than the whole building.

I see a bedsit as being where you sleep and where you sit and entertain your guests. This is your gaff, the rest of the building exists but isn't mentally yours.

In a shared house you'd have a strong sense of sharing. You'd sleep in your bedroom, sit in the shared lounge and entertain your friends in the shared lounge. You'd see the whole house as "your gaff", possessing your room within that.

Hope I was lucid... sometimes tricky typing in this 1" box!

wymondham

Best days of your life - you'll discover more about yourself and enjoy the freedom!

so what if you have to share bathrooms/toilets etc.... there are worse thing in life!