What are the pros and cons of house sharing? House sharing has become a very popular option for students and young working professionals who are looking for affordable living and a way to make friends in London. However, there is more to shared living than meets the eye – that is why it is important to weigh up the positives and negatives of house sharing before you commit.
Pros:
- Money money money
One of the key benefits of shared living is the fact that you will be able to save money. When living alone, the total rent, bills and extras all come out of your own pocket, with house sharing you get to split it between you and your housemates.
- Keep your friends close and your flatmates closer
Making friends as an adult in a big city, like London, can be tough, but by choosing the shared living route can help this dilemma by providing you with accessible friends. Of course not everyone will be your cup of tea, but living with people will definitely help introduce you to people who might be!
- Safety in numbers
Now safety is both a pro and a con when it comes to house sharing as you will see below, howeverthe positives of sharing a house with other people is that there will likely always be someone there in case of an emergency or if you are an extrovert in need of a cup of tea and a chat, there will be someone there to save you from your loneliness.
Cons:
- It takes all types to make up the world
An important con to consider before house sharing is the fact that your flatmates may have a completely different lifestyle to you. You may end up with someone who loves going out late at night, comes home and wakes you up while trying to make a sandwich in the kitchen at 3am. The main thing to look out for is mutual respect between you and the people you are sharing a house with, because it isn’t to say people with different lifestyles cannot live together, it is possible if everyone communicates and stays on relatively the same page.
- Better safe than sorry!
Living with strangers can lead to all sorts of safety hazards. One of them being that your flatmates have keys to the house and you cannot control who they bring into it. Most bedroom doors in shared living have locks and we recommend making use of them, better safe than sorry!
- Mi casa es su casa
The last con on our list is that house sharing does mean a reduction in privacy and a potential increase in noisiness. Unfortunately, there can be no recreation of the Naked Chef or a guaranteed morning lie-in. You have to respect your flatmates and hope they will reciprocate.