In my last blog we looked at the costs & benefits of renting a room in a shared house versus renting a one bed flat or a studio but before that it is important to understand why people house share in the first place and why it is becoming a more popular and importantly economical way of living.

There are many reasons why people will house share and it is important to recognise that house sharing provides a viable and comfortable way to live and help to solve the issues or problems that people may have when deciding on how or where they want to live.

Click HERE to see why one of the main house share websites think that the market for renting rooms continues to grow.


1) Job relocation to a new area

People usually move to a new area because they have a new job with a different company or have been relocated by the same company usually from the other end of the country!! In Chelmsford, we have seen many people come here to work for some of the larger businesses in the area such as E2V, Essex County Council, Britvic, Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford Borough Council, Anglia Ruskin University, IFDS, Royal Mail, First Group & Visteon. House sharing can be a great, short term solution to finding suitable accommodation and then deciding where and for how long they wish to stay in the area. Close proximity to work is probably a deciding factor and finding out how they can get to work either by car, bus, walk or cycle is also a key requirement. We have found that many people initially think of house sharing as a temporary solution but once they are settled in and like the place they are living in and the people they are sharing with then it can turn into long term accommodation.


2) New year, new change, new area!

If their work is not the deciding factor in why they may be moving it is usually down to wanting a complete change of scenery and change of life. With it being easier than ever to travel about some people like moving to a new area simply to find new friends or move closer (or further away) from family members etc. House sharing is a great way to meet new people and find out where in that town they want to live whilst having somewhere they can call “home” for a short while.


3) Divorce or separation

Whilst divorce rates have fallen in recent years it still unfortunately means that one of the couple will have to move out and find an alternative place to live. In some cases this can be completely out of the blue and accommodation is needed the same day. As long as the person has the money to move in and we have a room available then we can help in that situation and provide a room to rent. With a minimum term of 3 months it can provide that bridge between moving out of the family home and then finding something more permanent although again we have found in some circumstances that the person house shares for a much longer period of time because they like living with other people and it helps them to get back on their feet.
4) Moving out of home for the first time

Making that first step to move out of home is a big decision and a costly one also. If you are used to living with Mum & Dad and then want to fight for yourself the cost of renting is usually the biggest hurdle to overcome. Renting a room or house sharing again forms that bridge between living in their parents’ home and getting a flat or house to live in. As we looked at last month renting a room is about £314 per month cheaper than renting a one bed flat.


5) Serial house sharers

Some people like the whole convenience of house sharing and so they become familiar with that way of living. They will however like to move every couple of years to meet new people and find the best accommodation they can for their money. We do also have a lot of enquiries from people that rent rooms in other landlords properties who are not happy with the service they receive from their landlord or because they are now selling the property. We hold all of our investment properties for the long term and will not ask people to leave unless they have broken the rules of the tenancy agreement or because we want to help the tenant move into one of our other properties that now suits their situation better than when they first moved in.
6) It’s lonely living on your own

Whilst it can be attractive to have your own flat or house to live in it can be a lonely way to live. In house shares whilst you will very rarely find everyone at home at the same time you will often cross paths with your house mates and have a chance to socialise and get to know them better. The convenience of having an all inclusive rent, fully furnished to a high standard and in a nice property is a hard offer to beat.


Summary

With house sharing being such a more cost effective way to live and people’s budgets being tighter all the time we are finding that people see house sharing as not just an option of last resort but that with the quality of accommodation we provide, people are staying for longer and our occupancy levels are market leading. We specialise in providing high quality, low cost all inclusive house sharing accommodation for working professionals and key workers and people are attracted because we try to stand out from other landlords that just offer a basic room in a house a with service to match the accommodation.

Tony Pepper (Lettings Manager)
Email: ppl@platinumpropertypartners.co.uk

Mobile: 07791 866602
Office: 01245 356039
245A Broomfield Rd, Chelmsford, Essex. CM1 4DP