House Sharing?

Right, so I've not had a roommate (well, a live in partner doesn't count) - since Uni, many, many, many moons ago

But I'm trying to find ways to save money so I can eventually in a few years when I get ILR I can put a deposit down on a house.

So I was thinking of moving into a house share?  Trying to think of pros and cons

Pros: Rent/Bills in one, A lot cheaper than renting my current flat on my own and then the bills, can save ££ for a deposit, depending on the roommate- a built in social life?  

Cons: I have a lot of stuff, what would I do with it?, whoever I live with probably wouldn't appreciate me practicing my music, probably wouldn't want my boyfriend hanging around?, I am self admittedly not the cleanest of people

Am I crazy for even considering it?
My boyfriend and I attempted to live together years ago and that ended up with me homeless and he's not making much inclination about wanting to try again (not asking for relationship advice here!)

So, I dunno. Any other ways to save money for a deposit?  I'm really trying to figure out a lot of things here.  

Thoughts?  

The music and the boyfriend should be negotiable.  Are you looking for a two-bedroom place with one (or two) other people or a house with more? 

Thanks for responding 
Would be interested in a two bedroom, with one or two other people, not really wanting much more roomates than that!

Right, so I've not had a roommate (well, a live in partner doesn't count) - since Uni, many, many, many moons ago

But I'm trying to find ways to save money so I can eventually in a few years when I get ILR I can put a deposit down on a house.

So I was thinking of moving into a house share?  Trying to think of pros and cons

Pros: Rent/Bills in one, A lot cheaper than renting my current flat on my own and then the bills, can save ££ for a deposit, depending on the roommate- a built in social life?  

Cons: I have a lot of stuff, what would I do with it?, whoever I live with probably wouldn't appreciate me practicing my music, probably wouldn't want my boyfriend hanging around?, I am self admittedly not the cleanest of people

Am I crazy for even considering it?
My boyfriend and I attempted to live together years ago and that ended up with me homeless and he's not making much inclination about wanting to try again (not asking for relationship advice here!)

So, I dunno. Any other ways to save money for a deposit?  I'm really trying to figure out a lot of things here.  

Thoughts?  

I've not had a roommate or housemate in a long time, too but perhaps you could find another musician who needs a roommate?

House / apartment sharing is definitely a great way to save money.

House sharing is pretty much the norm in London if you're under 30. A key factor is what rooms you'll actually be sharing - is the bathroom shared? Is there a garden or living room? Or will you just be sharing the kitchen? Setting boundaries for which shelves/cupboards/fridge areas are whose is key to avoiding conflicts! Also sort out if potential housemates are partyers - you may like to party, but when it's occurring where you live it's impossible to escape.

I lived in two different houseshares before we bought the boat - the first was in Hackney for a few months, sharing with three Italian guys and a Kiwi girlfriend of one of them. LOTS of drama here in a small house with only a tiny kitchen and one bathroom so it was pretty much like living in just your bedroom. After this I moved into a brilliant houseshare near Bethnal Green/Shoreditch with a garden, big kitchen, and my own bathroom. I lived here for over four years and one of the girls in the house was a bridesmaid at my recent wedding, so things really can go well! But even then, we did have problems with one guy in the house and his *weird* habits, so even at the best of times, you do have to grin and bear some things.

Still, not everything's rosy when you own your own place, either - when I was housesharing, it was someone else's problem when things broke!!

Thanks, is there a 'best practice' way of finding a house share? 

Not sure it would work but what about you finding the house and then advertising to share the other room(s). That way you'd be more in control of who you rent to?

Not sure about best practice but here are some things I can recommend.

Always see the house before you move in. Check the conditions of the house, your room, check the bathrooms for mold, etc. I would recommend having the bathroom and shower area be separate in a shared house since it sucks to wait to use the bathroom when one of your mates is having a shower....

Also, don't be afraid to ask the serious, honest questions. I'm not the cleanest person ever, but I'm reasonable. I have asked questions like, how would you feel if I cooked something and didn't clean the pot immediately? Or if I was very tired one evening, how would you feel if I didn't clean my dishes until the next morning? Or phatbeetle, since you're a musician, I imagine you should ask them how they would feel to coming home and hearing you practice your instruments. Also ask how direct they would be with you. If I were a musician, and if I were practicing but say a flatmate was trying to sleep or was getting annoyed with it, I would rather they speak directly to me then whine about it to the other flatmates. Ask about heating and billing. Would they rather keep the heating on regularly or would they rather save money? Of course, don't be too harsh in your questions, but certainly ask more than 'what is your favorite color?'

Also I would recommend having mates closer to your age. I have just find it more comfortable to live with mates closer to my age who are also struggling through uni life

Good luck with the search!

Not sure it would work but what about you finding the house and then advertising to share the other room(s). That way you'd be more in control of who you rent to?

Yeah, that would be my preferred option, I'd love to just find a roomate for my spare bedroom that I have now, but I'm not sure my landlord would 'dig that option'!  
I wonder if any landlords allow that kind of option? Though I would add them to the lease, they wouldn't 'sublet' through me...  

Hmmm.  My bf also pointed out that come February, once I have finished paying off a loan I have, my spare income is also 'freed up' a bit more.  But I am still seriously thinking that living with other people would be good to save some dosh.  

Thanks Rynn, that's great advise! 

Have you asked? Don't ask, don't get! 

Definitely a good idea to ask questions and encourage potential roommates to ask questions as well.

But as far as age goes, the best housemates I ever had were 10 years older than me.  I was about 27 at the time.  They were professional and quiet (except for once a year when they had a big street party bash with traditional Puerto Rican food and music--awesome!) and responsible.  I was done with irresponsible partiers by that time and felt really secure with my mature housemates.

Yeah, that would be my preferred option, I'd love to just find a roomate for my spare bedroom that I have now, but I'm not sure my landlord would 'dig that option'!  
I wonder if any landlords allow that kind of option? Though I would add them to the lease, they wouldn't 'sublet' through me...  

Hmmm.  My bf also pointed out that come February, once I have finished paying off a loan I have, my spare income is also 'freed up' a bit more.  But I am still seriously thinking that living with other people would be good to save some dosh.  

Thanks Rynn, that's great advise! 

Obviously, this might not apply, but in some jurisdictions in the States, you have the right to have a roommate (definitely applies in New York City). Why not just rent the extra bedroom? You can retain full responsibility for the lease and just let the room. I'd be hesitant to add a total stranger to my lease, personally, since if it doesn't work out, they could refuse to leave. Also, if you rent the extra room in your current place, you know that you can afford it on your own so if it doesn't work out and you have to go a month or two between roommates to find the right one, it's not a huge deal, you just can't save as much that month.

the BF and I just moved from our lovely 1 bed flat in Nottingham to a houseshare in London.  Housesharing seems to be the only financially practical option for us down here.  So far it seems to be working out, but we're still getting settled, so ask me again in a month. (Today is Day 5). 

We viewed a few places before deciding on this one, because there are only 2 other people here (a couple), and they seemed to be the most like us, in terms of what they were looking for in housemates.

Thanks, is there a 'best practice' way of finding a house share? 

I'm not sure where you are, PB, but the places we arranged to view were found on Gumtree and Spareroom.co.uk.  I've also seen some ads listed in grocery stores here of people looking for rooms.  Being a couple really limited the number of properties that were available to us, and if your bf is around a lot, you may want to ask your future flatmates how they feel about that.

Or, just check with your landlord to see if you can let out the room in your current place.  Like others have said, that would give you a lot more control over who you live with, you wouldn't need to worry about where to put all your stuff (apart from making room in a few cupboards), and they would know in advance that you play music, etc.  For the right price, I'm sure people would love to live with you!

If you're in London: I'm in the early stages of looking for a place for January.  So if you do decide to either rent out your spare room or look for a new place, we should chat.

I have no problem with music or partners or mild untidyness (within reason, of course).

If you're in London: I'm in the early stages of looking for a place for January.  So if you do decide to either rent out your spare room or look for a new place, we should chat.

I have no problem with music or partners or mild untidyness (within reason, of course).

Thanks for the offer, but I'm very, very, very far from London - I don't think 1.5 hour commute up here on a plane and 1.5 commute down on a plane everyday would work too well