What flatshare websites have you used? (any tales of woe?)

Buffman

Buffman

Buffman

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Any of you guys used any flatshare websites? What do you recommend?

Currently using spareroom.co.uk, and I'm looking for a flatshare in Cambridge (Cb1)

Just wondering if you guys have any tips or anything, for what it's worth I'm looking at flatshare as I'm a recent graduate moving from Glasgow so don't really have mates in the area!
 
Colleague has a house and used his spare room for something like this.

He ended up with a Polish Electrician - unfortunately due to my colleague working the same crazy hours as me, his wife was basically in the house alone with this other guy for most of the day/night. I don't think she liked it!
 
for what its worth I'm trying to be honest with myself when looking and think

I don't really want to share a bathroom with more than 2 people (because I cba waiting at 8am every morning when I need a quick shower before work, other than that it would be fine)

Don't want to share with >4 people (think it would likely get messy)

I've looked at some adverts with some younger (30's couples and they have a young kid (more than 1 and I'd run!)), although kis might be a bit loud or whatever as long as the couple are friendly and normal this might be good for me. (I dont drink really or go out late)

I would spend most my time post work chilling out in bedroom (after I'd made food), and weekends out doing stuff (kayaking, gym, snowboarding, seeing girlfriend)

RedvGreen said:
Colleague has a house and used his spare room for something like this.

He ended up with a Polish Electrician - unfortunately due to my colleague working the same crazy hours as me, his wife was basically in the house alone with this other guy for most of the day/night. I don't think she liked it!
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Was there anything particularly bad about the guy?
 
Little bit of a bump here but I'll be going later this weekend and looking at some of flats from online listed sites... Here's hoping I survive! :p
 
If your quibbling about the bathroom etc. then just rent a bedsit or a studio flat to yourself?

I lived in a shared house for the first year of uni and really hated it after a while, my housemates weren't even bad, its just the small things that irritated me. Living in a flat on my own the next year was much, much better and was actually cheaper due to having full control over the gas and electricity usage.
 
JonnyT said:
As you're looking in Cambridge, try BrettWard - http://www.brettward.co.uk/canb/

Otherwise SpareRoom is pretty decent, we've always managed to fill rooms in our shared house pretty quickly
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Had a look on that site, not too easy to navigate and didnt throw up any results for me (weirdly)


Skidder said:
Spareroom is what you want.
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Used it before?


phil675 said:
If your quibbling about the bathroom etc. then just rent a bedsit or a studio flat to yourself?

I lived in a shared house for the first year of uni and really hated it after a while, my housemates weren't even bad, its just the small things that irritated me. Living in a flat on my own the next year was much, much better and was actually cheaper due to having full control over the gas and electricity usage.
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Put it this way... I could spend 4-500 on rent inc bills in a flat share or close to 1k inc bills by myself. I want to save money (for my own mortgage/car/holiday) so the choice is obvious!
 
rofl

When I moved to london I found a decent looking place through spareroom.co.uk with a "live in landlord" no contracts or agencies, moved in - the landlord then went to live in Israel for about 5 months so I had the place to myself.

When he came back, it turned out he was a hardcore alcoholic, 7-8 bottles of wine per day, 100% wasted all of the time, thought Mi5 were after him, claimed he invented the northern ireland peace process (yep he was irish) claimed that he worked on the goce satellite (all lies) 95% of his life was lies and wine.

So yeah, I've got my own place now..
 
When i first started working down in london in the mid 90s I shared a house with a smackhead and a hooker.......... not my greatest moment the day i worked out what the landlord had conned me into. He basically had the "Normal people" round when he showed me the place and swapped them out with the worst people I have a ever meet afterwards.

Why anyone would pay money for the hooker was beyond me I would have rather have slept with a broken bottle than her, smackhead nearly died 2 months in from an OD and was moved out and swapped for a dirtbag who robbed everyone living there (dirtbag stole my Amiga). Once my 6 months was up i got my deposit back and moved out sharpish.....

Hounslow what to total ****hole......
 
House said:
When i first started working down in london in the mid 90s I shared a house with a smackhead and a hooker.......... not my greatest moment the day i worked out what the landlord had conned me into. He basically had the "Normal people" round when he showed me the place and swapped them out with the worst people I have a ever meet afterwards.

Why anyone would pay money for the hooker was beyond me I would have rather have slept with a broken bottle than her, smackhead nearly died 2 months in from an OD and was moved out and swapped for a dirtbag who robbed everyone living there (dirtbag stole my Amiga). Once my 6 months was up i got my deposit back and moved out sharpish.....

Hounslow what to total ****hole......
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You expected anything better in Hounslow?!
 
easyroommate was one i used to find a place a while back. Bit of an odd system for sending messages and paying to see them but you can make an add and put your phone number on which works out fine.
 
Look at Lancaster for example, properties are renting at £400-£500 a month, the flat share prices are comparable to that.
 
I think that does rather depend where you're looking. Cambridge for example, would be horribly expensive for a studio/single flat. I used to rent in Edinburgh, when 300/month was pretty much the standard rate for a room in a niceish place, spending 300/month for somewhere on my own would get me a shed somewhere in Niddrie.
 
Energize said:
Look at Lancaster for example, properties are renting at £400-£500 a month, the flat share prices are comparable to that.
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Unfortunately I want to rent in cambridge and not Lancaster... (You're welcome to find me a 1 bed flat in cambridge for ~550 a month + 150 bills however!)

For the same location and size room a single would cost me near 1.7-2* as much.

I'm sure I could live further out but it would cost me more £ again in commuter fees.

krooton said:
Spareroom is pretty much the best in the UK.
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Thats good to know! got a few viewings in some decent looking flats (tbh I think the people are more important than the flat itself as long as its sufficient size)
 
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Spareroom has been my go to site when I used to flat share with randoms.

Gumtree is a bit odd. Can sometimes come across adds that are a bit weird like..."Looking for single girl to live in my room with me and cook me dinner and clean my clothes in exchange for rent free accommodation"

Weird.
 
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