Buying a house (and renting)

PostRe: Buying a house (and renting) by **Bunni** » Sat Sep 29, 2018 3:38 pm

Yeah but living with 6 people could be a strawberry floating nightmare. How many washing machines? How big is the kitchen? You could be queuing for chores. How clean is it? Seven people can easily trash one kitchen. Not much fridge space either. What if you fall out with one of them, will the rest turn against you too? What kinda of personalities are we talking here? Chances of someone coming home drunk and ruining your sleep for work just went up. I certainly would risk such a big house. Quality > quantity of friendships.

I’ve lived in a 6 bed houseshare in london before, 2 of which were occupied by couples. It was much like Bunni imagined. There was a lot of drama, the 2 couples hated each other, and i really didnt get on with one of the guys there.

Then i moved to a 3 bed and got on really well with both roommates, i would have stayed on there had i not moved to NYC

But every roomshare is different i guess, maybe in your one there won’t be that drama

PostRe: Buying a house (and renting) by KK » Sat Sep 29, 2018 4:23 pm

My neighbours are now a house share (5 people, though currently at 4). Every grouping that has stayed there (and I'd say we're on the 4th round, so to speak) have eventually fallen out. It has a shelf life, of which I'd put at about 6 months. Different working hours, noise, varying personalities, age gaps, cleanliness, lack of personal space, cramped conditions...I have overheard arguments about mess and items going missing from the fridge more than once this summer.

It's worth noting however the landlord (and his dog) are pretty hands on - he turns up most weeks, occasionally twice. But to me trying to fit so many people into a building that was never designed to house so many was always ridiculous.

Bunni wrote:Yeah but living with 6 people could be a strawberry floating nightmare. How many washing machines? How big is the kitchen? You could be queuing for chores. How clean is it? Seven people can easily trash one kitchen. Not much fridge space either. What if you fall out with one of them, will the rest turn against you too? What kinda of personalities are we talking here? Chances of someone coming home drunk and ruining your sleep for work just went up. I certainly would risk such a big house. Quality > quantity of friendships.

Thanks for your reply!
There is only one washer/dryer combo machine. An extra communal toilet even though all the rooms are already ensuite. Kitchen isn't massive by any means, even the tiny TV is placed on top the fridge of which there are 2. Seems to be enough cupboard space for each person though.

The kitchen seemed very clean which I was surprised about. Possibly due to the weekly cleaner that comes in to clean communal areas. The agent guy said he's never seen it crowded either sine everyone has different schedules.

I'll be honest I did not consider the possibility of falling out with one of them. I guess if one housemates makes too much noise or mess in the kitchen then that would be an issue. I've only ever been in one other house share and that was in a 5 bed house.

Snowcannon wrote:I’ve lived in a 6 bed houseshare in london before, 2 of which were occupied by couples. It was much like Bunni imagined. There was a lot of drama, the 2 couples hated each other, and i really didnt get on with one of the guys there.

Then i moved to a 3 bed and got on really well with both roommates, i would have stayed on there had i not moved to NYC

But every roomshare is different i guess, maybe in your one there won’t be that drama

Thanks. Well the contract was supposed to be 12m with no breaks. But I talked them down to 8months so at worse its only 8months. Or I can advertise the room and get out myself.

I guess I'll put my name down for that other flat I saw this morning and see if I get it.

Thanks

PostRe: Buying a house (and renting) by **Bunni** » Sat Sep 29, 2018 4:42 pm

I mean, more song the lines of are you going to be able to cook at the time you wish, or will you likely be forced into waiting because there’s 4 other people already waiting. Or someone left it in a mess which means you have to argue it out, or clean it up adding to your waiting to eat time. Same with washing. One machine means you’re unlikely to get to just do your washing when you’re ready to do it. Different schedules may also be a nightmare, with some folk getting up early and others making a riot late at night while you’re trying to sleep. What about sharing the TV, or having friends round. More people to get in your way.

I've taken a gamble and have gone for the 7 room house! Just can't get my head around what I think is soo much to spend on rent. £865pcm!

PostRe: Buying a house (and renting) by **Dual** » Sat Sep 29, 2018 7:56 pm

That London lifestyle tax :datass:

PostRe: Buying a house (and renting) by **Bunni** » Sat Sep 29, 2018 9:03 pm

No:1 Final Fantasy Fan wrote:I've taken a gamble and have gone for the 7 room house! Just can't get my head around what I think is soo much to spend on rent. £865pcm!

On one hand, why? Why pay so much for so little if your head tells you no?

On the other, Fendi wallet and Tom ford ties suggest money means very little to you in what you exchange it for so you’ll be fine.

Bunni wrote:
No:1 Final Fantasy Fan wrote:I've taken a gamble and have gone for the 7 room house! Just can't get my head around what I think is soo much to spend on rent. £865pcm!

On one hand, why? Why pay so much for so little if your head tells you no?

On the other, Fendi wallet and Tom ford ties suggest money means very little to you in what you exchange it for so you’ll be fine.

sigh...you know I regret it so much now. Maybe it's just the initial shock...felt the same when I did it in Liverpool. Could have got something much cheaper there.
O well I'll plod on for the next 8 months of this contract then get somewhere much cheaper to make up for it!

I'm changing my attitude towards money now. Going to sell my Fendi wallet as I don't like it and I can't imagine ever spending £70 on a tie again. Got a £50 Selfridges voucher for my birthday but cannot justify buying anything from there. A Comme Des Garcons polo shirt was tempting but nah I'd rather save my money.

In fact I have been shopping in Primark lately! Yesterday I got a pair of Clarks for work. Normally I'd spend like nearly twice as much on shoes. Also got myself a new suit from M&S all for £129. Yes I could have gotten something cheaper at Tesco/Primark/H&M but still saved loads compared to getting a Hugo Boss one. Just gutted that all the good I've done above has been ruined by me signing this expensive lease.

I'm starting to think this expensive rent will do me good in the long term! It'll make me be more careful with what I exchange my money with and I might end up with more savings at the end of the year than if I was on a cheaper lease...as I'll feel the urge to splash out more :slol:

Nothing wrong with buying a suit from M&S.

Dual wrote:That London lifestyle tax

Still new to the city! All week I have only been to the centre once! Infact spending my Saturday night at home watching TV :/ what's this lifestyle?
Although had a lot more people chatting to me on the dating apps here.

Drumstick wrote:Nothing wrong with buying a suit from M&S.

No not at all. M&S has some really nice suits! Some are very expensive too! I went for a cheaper one at £129 includes jacket and trousers. Really really like it too

On the house share front... You need to properly assess how the living situation might affect you. Having lived with people before, did you generally find it to be a positive experience or did you find you preferred privacy and weren't a people person? Is it an annoyance when someone else is using a utility that you need to use? How would you find it if your housemates came in late and woke you up? How important is cleanliness to you; would you freakout if you walked into the kitchen to fix yourself some lunch only to see the sink is overflowing with plates piled up?

The more people you share with the more chance there is for the negatives.

I found it difficult at times living with one person, mostly because I am at the extreme edge of the spectrum. I flat out need privacy, I can't abide mess and because my friend is at the opposite end of the scale I ended up doing 90% of the cleaning and making sure the flat was decent.

Living with so many people would not work for me. There are clear positives there but they couldn't ever outweigh the negatives for me. You have to use your past experiences to make the right decision for you, rather than just picking randomly, because if you make a bad choice it will be a very long 8 months.

Drumstick wrote:On the house share front... You need to properly assess how the living situation might affect you. Having lived with people before, did you generally find it to be a positive experience or did you find you preferred privacy and weren't a people person? Is it an annoyance when someone else is using a utility that you need to use? How would you find it if your housemates came in late and woke you up? How important is cleanliness to you; would you freakout if you walked into the kitchen to fix yourself some lunch only to see the sink is overflowing with plates piled up?

The more people you share with the more chance there is for the negatives.

I found it difficult at times living with one person, mostly because I am at the extreme edge of the spectrum. I flat out need privacy, I can't abide mess and because my friend is at the opposite end of the scale I ended up doing 90% of the cleaning and making sure the flat was decent.

Living with so many people would not work for me. There are clear positives there but they couldn't ever outweigh the negatives for me. You have to use your past experiences to make the right decision for you, rather than just picking randomly, because if you make a bad choice it will be a very long 8 months.

Thanks for your reply!
I previously lived with 4 others in a house share in Chester and I got on well with everyone. I got my privacy when I was in my room but it felt nice and comforting when I got in from work and saw people in the kitchen.
My house mates said I was like a ninja as they never noticed me making any noise. I'll end up using the washing machine on weekends at like 2am and probably also use those hours to do some batch cooking. So that during the week I only have to heat my food up. I'm quite happy to do that tbh.

Cleaniness is important so I hope they keep the fridges clean. In Chester the kitchen wasn't always clean and I ended up cleaning a lot around the house including vacuuming because we had no weekly cleaner there. Again asking myself now, I was quite happy to do this and never felt annoyed. As long as I'm not the only person doing it. As long as there is another super clean housemate who recognises that things need to be done then I'll be fine I reckon.

No1FFF you're living the dream. Do whatever you want, whenever you want. Make that money and spend it however you see fit.

Tbh I am amazed that a 7 bed near Deptford Bridge costs as much as £865pcm. Is it really nice inside?

EDIT: Saw the bit where you said ensuite and all bills included. Makes more sense now

865 is high even for London for a room in a 6/7bed house is it? I pay 1050pcm for a 2 bed house in a town on the commuter belt split with my girlfriend. Plus £152pcm council tax and all the bills. Split with 5 other people in Surrey was more like £300-450 per month and the latter was slightly high.

I just expect everything in London to be £infinite, my mates have some nice houseshares in the suburbs now for far less than that on a per-room basis.

I've lived with 4-5 other people in three different terraced house shares, two on the same street as it happens, and 7 in student accommodation (which was actually a terraced house on campus as well). In two of those cases I was already friends with all of them from first year university. One relationship folded but other than that it was no problem at all... But after my final year I lived with random 1st years, they were OK just never was there because I stayed with my girlfriend as he had just met maybe 80% of the time.. I never wanted to houseshare again, even with friends. I was just done with it.

So I pay more in rent now than I used to but I have way more privacy.. extra room(s). But no social life whatsoever. Depends what you want. If you're living with randoms you need to be forthcoming or you have about as much chance of making friends as you do at work.. People just spend all day on the internet in their rooms these days. It's hard not to have at least some social interaction and it's a good idea to share meals and have movie nights etc. You have to make events or it's surprising how isolated a house full of introverts or hard working people can be. At least I never had to deal with any total bellends.

https://metro.co.uk/2018/10/02/what-i-rent-max-900-a-month-for-a-room-in-a-four-bedroom-house-in-tooting-7997112/

The Metro has a "What I rent" as a a regular feature. Can be quite interesting seeing what you get for your money in London. Usually it's house shares.

PostRe: Buying a house (and renting) by **Hexx** » Tue Oct 02, 2018 4:32 pm

Green Gecko wrote:At least I never had to deal with any total bellends.

Shame your housemates couldn't say the same

Seriously though - good advice in his post!

Just to offer the counter perspective, I've lived in a 7 person house share for 4 and a half years and I've met most of my current friends through it. WiiU in the living room for Mario Kart gets frequent use, we play board games on Sunday night, four of us have been watching the OC together, and we go out fairly often. When I get home tonight I need to start organising our house Christmas as it will probably be end of November - I look forward to it more than actual Christmas and we'll invite some of our old housemates over for it too. Sure the housemates have changed a fair amount and not everyone fitted in as well as others, but it's definitely been worth it.

I'm probably going to be moving out in January to move in with my girlfriend. I'm very excited for that but I'm definitely going to miss the place!

Buying a house (and renting)

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