Most students choose to move into a house or flat with a number of fellow students. Living with friends can be fun and a great experience. It also reduces living costs, since they are shared among all tenants. 

However, people’s personalities and habits are different and you might not always get along well with everyone. So, what’s really important is that you choose your housemates very carefully. 

Living together for the first time might be surprising as it reveals people’s habits: they might leave their washing up on the counters, never take the bins out when they’re full, or occupy the bathroom every morning for far too long, especially when you’re in a hurry. There are many points of potential “disagreement”. So make sure you discuss how you’ll all want to manage things around the house with any potential housemates, to set expectations from the outset. 

Sharing a house is often a great experience, offering you the opportunity to have your independence but sharing out tasks and responsibilities. You’ll be able to spend lots of time together and do things your own way, so find some like-minded people you get along with! 

Signing a contract too early can leave you tied to sharing with people you don’t really want to. Choose the right people to live with and chances are you’ll enjoy sharing the same home. Spend time together, discussing what you all want out of your year as housemates, before signing anything. 

How many people should I live with? 

More people can mean more fun and cheaper bills. It can also mean more mess and noise. Whereas living on your own might be appealing but will be more expensive. Have a think about what will work best for you.

What to consider 

Here are some things it would be worth considering with any potential housemates: 

• Rent – It’s important to agree on an upper and lower limit that is manageable for everyone. 
• Is anyone planning to spend a semester abroad, in industry or on placement? How will this impact bills and rent? 
• TV license – Who would want a TV license? Would you split the cost? 
• Cleaning – Would you prefer to set a rota or take a more laidback approach? 
• Cooking – Would you like to cook individually or share food? 
• Socialising – Do you generally prefer your own company or others? 
• Shopping - Will you share groceries and split the cost? Or would you prefer to arrange this yourself? 
• Appliances – Will you split the cost for appliances like toasters, microwaves etc that aren’t provided? 
• Guests/Partners - How often are you expecting guests to visit? 

Housemate finder 

Don’t panic if you haven’t found any housemates yet. You can join the Students’ Union’s Housemate Finder or look out for Housemate Finding events!

Visit the housing advice page on the SU website to find out more