The Essential Guide to Flatsharing: For Sharers, Lodgers and Anyone Renting Out a Room

186 Pages·2009·0.81 MB·English

by  Rupert Hunt

The Essential Guide to
Flatsharing
Visit our How To website at www.howto.co.uk
At www.howto.co.uk you can engage in conversation with our authors
– all of whom have ‘been there and done that’ in their specialist fields.
You can get access to special offers and additional content but most
importantly you will be able to engage with, and become a part of, a
wide and growing community of people just like yourself.
At www.howto.co.uk you’ll be able to talk and share tips with people
who have similar interests and are facing similar challenges in their
lives. People who, just like you, have the desire to change their lives
for the better – be it through moving to a new country, starting a new
business, growing their own vegetables, or writing a novel.
At www.howto.co.uk you’ll find the support and encouragement you
need to help make your aspirations a reality.
You can go direct to www.the-essential-guide-to-flatsharing.co.uk which is
part of the main How To site.
How To Books strives to present authentic, inspiring,
practical information in their books. Now, when you
buy a title from How To Books, you get even more than
just words on a page.
The Essential Guide to
Flatsharing
For sharers,
lodgers and
everyone
renting
out a room
Rupert Hunt
(founder of SpareRoom.co.uk) and
Matt Hutchinson
Published by How To Content,
A division of How To Books Ltd,
Spring Hill House, Spring Hill Road
Begbroke, Oxford OX5 1RX
Tel: [phone]. Fax: [phone]
[email protected]
www.howtobooks.co.uk

How To Books greatly reduce the carbon footprint of their books by sourcing
their typesetting and printing in the UK.

All rights reserved. No Part of this work may be reproduced or stored in an
information retrieval system (other than for purposes of review) without the
express permission of the publisher in writing.

The right of Rupert Hunt and Matt Hutchinson to be identified as authors
of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.

© 2009 Rupert Hunt and Matt Hutchinson

First published in electronic form 2009

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978 1 84803 346 7

Produced for How To Books by Deer Park Productions, Tavistock
Typeset by Kestrel Data, Exeter

NOTE: The material contained in this book is set out in good faith for general
guidance and no liability can be accepted for loss or expense incurred as a
result of relying in particular circumstances on statements made in the book.
The laws and regulations are complex and liable to change, and readers
should check the current position with the relevant authorities before making
personal arrangements.
Contents
Preface
The death of the largest ad site in the world xi
How to Use this Book xv
Read it straight through xv
Chapters of interest xv
Index xvi
Introduction: Flatsharing – The Basics (SH/RS/LIL) 1
What is flatsharing? 1
Why flatshare? 1
Who lives in flatshares? 3
Chapter 1: Types of Let (SH/RS)
5
Flat or house share 5
Rooms for rent (live-in landlord) 7
Rooms for rent (live-out landlord) 9
Bedsits 10
Room shares 11
Mon–Fri lets 12
A few thoughts on sublets 13
Chapter 2: Find a Flatshare (RS)
15
Budget 15
What to look for 16
Where to look 26
How to look 27
Professional house shares 29
Viewings 30
Setting up your own flatshare 33
v
The Essential Guide to Flatsharing
Chapter 3: Find a Flatmate (SH/LIL)
34
Who do you want to live with? 34
Where to look 38
How to look 43
Viewings and interviews 43
Interview notes 45
Chapter 4: Lodgers (LIL)
46
Background 46
How to prepare 54
Chapter 5: The Language of Flatsharing
59
Administration fee 59
Agent 59
Assured short-hold tenancy 59
Assured tenancy 60
Bedsit 60
Bills included 60
Buddy up 60
Bungalow 60
Buy-to-let 60
Buy-to-share 61
Co-buying 61
Contents insurance 61
Contract 61
Conversion 61
Cottage 62
Council tax 62
Credit check 62
Deposit 62
Detached 62
Double room 63
DSS 63
En-suite 63
Eviction 63
Ex-local authority 63
Fixed term 63
vi
Contents
Flat 64
Flatmate 64
Flatshare 64
Fractional letting 64
Garden flat 64
Granny flat 64
HMO 65
House 65
Houseboat 65
House rules 65
Houseshare, house share 65
Inter-sharer agreement 66
Inventory 66
Joint and several 66
Key (or card) meter 66
Landlord’s insurance 66
Live-in landlord 67
Live-out landlord 67
Lodger 67
Loft apartment 67
Maisonette 67
Mansion 67
Master bedroom 68
Mews 68
Mon–Fri renting 68
No DSS 68
Party wall 68
PCM 69
Penthouse 69
Periodic tenancy 69
Postcode 69
Purpose built 69
PW 69
References 69
Rent a Room Scheme 70
Re-signing fee 70
Room contents insurance 70
Roommate 70
vii
The Essential Guide to Flatsharing
Room seeker 71
Seasonal lettings 71
Semi or semi-detached 71
Sharers 71
Short-term let 71
Single room 71
Speed Flatmating ® 72
Studio or studio flat 72
Sub-let 72
Tenancy agreement 72
Tenancy Deposit Scheme 72
Tenant 73
Terraced house 73
Townhouse 73
Viewing 73
Walk-up flat 73
Interlude: Fighting Over the Remote –Flatshare on the Box 75
Film 75
TV 76
Opera 79
Chapter 6: Living Together
81
Cleanliness 81
Noise levels 87
Money and bills 88
Space and privacy 88
Conflict 90
House rules 93
Lodgers in your home 93
What to do if you can’t resolve the conflict 94
A voice of experience 95
Chapter 7: Finance and Bills
96
Rent 96
Deposits 98
Bills 98
viii
Contents
Food and shopping 106
Strategy 106
Getting behind with your bills 107
Chapter 8: Contracts, Rights and Agreements
110
Sharers 110
Lodgers 114
Deposits and Tenancy Deposit Schemes 115
Inventories 117
HMOs 118
Your rights 119
Harassment 122
Problems getting hold of your landlord 125
Chapter 9: Flatshare in London (RS)
126
A few common questions 126
Finding accommodation in London 127
How to look 134
Staying safe 137
New to London 138
Chapter 10: Staying Safe
148
Online safety 148
General security tips 150
Useful Resources and Links 155
Flatshare and related sites 155
Information and advice 155
Useful tools 156
London links 156
Appendix: London Postcodes 159
Index 165
ix