"The best piece of advice I can give is that even if you’re in a rush to move, do as much as you can to avoid moving into a property where you know nothing at all about the housemates you’ll be living with"
- Vann Vogstad - COHO
Tenants searching for shared accommodation are facing growing challenges, with new research from HMO management platform COHO showing that fewer than 60% of shared living rooms listed for rent across Britain are available for immediate occupancy.
Based on an analysis of over 13,000 current listings, COHO found that just 58.6% of rooms are ready for move-in right away. A further 27% of listings are not available for at least one to three months, and 10% won’t be open for more than three months.
Regional differences are significant. In Brighton, only 11% of advertised shared rooms are available immediately. That figure increases only slightly to 32.7% for availability within a month. Similarly, Nottingham offers limited immediate options, with just 28.1% of rooms open now, while 40% of listings have a waiting period of at least one to three months.
Other cities where tenants face longer waits include Newcastle (46.7% immediate availability) and Bristol (49.6%). In contrast, tenants in Birmingham benefit from the highest rate of immediate availability, with 85.7% of listings move-in ready. Sheffield (74.5%) and Glasgow (72.2%) also rank high for same-day access.
“Navigating the shared living market can occasionally feel a bit overwhelming,” said Vann Vogstad, Founder and CEO of COHO. “Trying to find a home in the right area can be tricky enough, but finding one whose availability aligns with your requirements can be a further challenge.
“We will always recommend that people give themselves a decent amount of time to find the right home for their next move, but also appreciate that this luxury isn’t always possible when circumstances change unexpectedly or other life factors demand an immediate relocation.
“The best piece of advice I can give is that even if you’re in a rush to move, do as much as you can to avoid moving into a property where you know nothing at all about the housemates you’ll be living with.
“The traditional ways of finding shared living properties can make it difficult to quickly know whether you’re going to have compatibility with housemates – requiring you to find time to meet them face to face at least once – but COHO’s revolutionary platform means you can have a good idea of potential compatibility as easily as you can see the asking price. So instead of your time constraints forcing you to take a punt and hope for the best, you can instantly see the ages, interests, and lifestyles of the people already living in the property.”
