Shared accommodation, also known as shared housing or house sharing, involves multiple individuals living together in a single dwelling and sharing common spaces such as the kitchen, living room, and sometimes bathrooms.
This arrangement could be in a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) or even in a home owners own home by renting a bedroom and sharing their personal facilities. The latter option could be as a contracted tenant or lodger.
This arrangement typically reduces living costs such as utility bills, including gas, electricity and water, along with council tax as these are divided among the occupants. Shared accommodation can vary widely in terms of the number of roommates, the level of privacy offered, and the duration of stay.
Who Would Rent in Shared Accommodation?
It is more common among students, young professionals, and those seeking a more affordable living situation in urban areas.
Students may spend the first year in student residence and then in subsequent years look to share with likeminded people in a private rented house, splitting the bills.
Potential benefits include social interaction, companionship, and the opportunity to split household responsibilities. However, challenges can arise in terms of different lifestyles, habits, and conflicts over shared spaces or resources. Clear communication and establishing ground rules are important for a harmonious shared living experience.
So How Do You Arrange Shared Accommodation?
Renting shared accommodation typically involves a number of steps:
- Search for Listings: Look for shared accommodation listings on websites such as RoomsForLet and other online portals. Social media groups are also a great place to look for recommendations.
- Define Preferences: Determine your budget, preferred location, the number of roommates you're comfortable living with, and any specific requirements or preferences regarding lifestyle, cleanliness, etc. Do you prefer to share with a live in landlord or other tenants?
- Contact Potential Roommates: Reach out to landlords to enquire about available rooms or vacancies. Ask questions about rent, utilities, house rules, and the living situation to ensure it aligns with your preferences. On social media or at college and universities, reach out to like minded individuals who would consider sharing.
- Schedule Visits: Always try to schedule visits to view the accommodation to see the space and meet the current residents. This allows you to assess the cleanliness, atmosphere, and compatibility with potential roommates. It is always advisable to meet with the landlord, owner or agent to ensure the advertisement is legitimate. Remember there are a number of known scams involving individuals purporting to be landlords who don’t actually own a property and often don’t reside in the UK. Please be very wary when arranging a tenancy with someone who does not wish to arrange a viewing or requires payment upfront. Please review our Scams blog for further information.
- Discuss Terms: Once you've found a suitable accommodation, discuss rental terms with the landlord or current tenants. Clarify details such as rent, security deposit, utilities, lease duration, house rules, and any other expectations.
- Sign Agreement: If both parties agree on the terms, sign a rental agreement or Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) or lease. Make sure to review the contract carefully and seek clarification on any ambiguous clauses before signing. Ensire all clauses that were discussed are in the document before signing. Most will be generic contracts with few alterations such as landlord name and address, property address etc. so should be fairly standard and cover most needs.
- Move-in: Coordinate with the landlord or existing tenants to schedule your move-in date. Make arrangements for paying rent, setting up utilities (if not already included), and obtaining keys or access to the property.
- Establish Communication: Maintain open communication with your roommates to address any concerns, share responsibilities, and foster a respectful living environment.
- Respect House Rules: Adhere to any established house rules regarding cleanliness, noise levels, guests, and shared responsibilities to maintain a harmonious living situation. Remember, you all have to share the same communal space and if you respect others needs then that should be reciprocated, making for a happy household.
- Handle Finances: Ensure timely payment of rent and utilities, as well as any other agreed-upon expenses. Keep records of payments for reference.
By following these steps and maintaining clear communication with your roommates or landlord, you can successfully navigate the process of renting shared accommodation.
Find Rooms To Rent in Shared Accommodation
To find rooms you can search RoomsForLet for availability in the area of your preference.
You can also register as a tenant to send any enquiries which is completely free.
There is a small payment if you wish to speed up the process and receive landlord contact details but you can send and receive enquiries via our messaging system without payment.
Rent a Room in Shared Accommodation
If you have rooms to rent in shared accommodation or are considering doing so, please register here to create your landlord account and post an advert. Your rooms will be matched to suitable tenants or you can contact them directly via our ‘Best Matches’ and ‘Rooms Wanted’ sections.