With 8 room seekers for every available room, competition is fierce and rents are out of control. Yet, the UK is considered the most appealing country in Europe when it comes to flatsharing.
According to a joint survey conducted by EasyRoommate and Digischool, 38% of the respondents scaled the difficulty of finding a double bedroom as “Average”; understanding that it requires some work but it’s not an impossible task. Only 12% said it was “Easy”.
In comparison to Spain and France, it seems renters in the UK have it easy. In France, 70% of the respondent ranked finding a room in a flatshare difficult or very difficult. In Spain, just 10% found the task easy.
Flatsharing is the perfect solution for young people to split costs and manage their budget. In the UK, over 60% of the respondents said that saving money is the main reason that they flatshare, with only 16% claiming they are happy to houseshare with other people. The results are quiet similar in France. But the surprise came from Spain respondents where 50% of young women choose flatsharing to enjoy the flexibility of moving from one city to the next with ease. In Spain only 26% choose flatsharing to save money.
Flatsharing isn’t only for those who are studying. In the UK, almost 50% of people flatsharing are professionals and aged over 26yo. Similarly in Spain professionals account over 48% of the flatsharers whereas in France the number reaches 40%.
According to the survey, the criteria for a perfect flatshare differ for each country. In the UK, 68% of the respondents said that the ideal flatshare should be in the best neighbourhood and only 20% said that living with friendly flatmates is a deal-breaker.
We see an opposite trend in France where 50% deem that to get the perfect flatshare you must get along with your flatmates. Only 34% value the neighbourhood above friendly flatmates. In Spain, the results are totally different from its neighbouring countries: 56% said that they want a fully furnished flat and bedroom, while 35% claim the size of the bedroom is the deal breaker.
On a lighter note, 1 in 10 people have admitted to having previously flirted with one of their flatmates.
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