A flat or house share is where two or more people live in a property together. For simplicity purposes, we will refer to this as flatshare. They usually share common amenities such the living room, bathroom and kitchen. On some occasions, the flatmate or housemate may have their own bedroom and this would be reflected in the price of the room. There may be instances where there is no shared common living room and prospective flatmates should always enquire about facilities which they share.
You will find that sharers range from students aged 18 to more mature adults even in their 80s. It is therefore important to find the right household or right flatmate to share with. Share-A-Flat has a history of successfully matching people since 1997 but understands the importance with sharing with the right people who share the same interests and with whom you can get along with. We have moved our expertise online but still understand the delicate decision of choosing the right flatmate or flatshare and have ensured that the pertinent information needed are asked and reflected in the website to enable you to make an informed decision.
This varies in different flatshares and it is always important to ask what the average bills are if this is not included in the rent. Council Tax normally takes up the bulk of the bills but you can be looking at between £50 - £200 per month for shared bills over and above your rent.
From our experience, there are occasions when flatshares do not work out for example, there are disagreements or where personalities clash. This is not unusual but flatmates are encouraged to first try and talk through disagreements to find a common ground. If this doesn’t work, then it may be better to part ways. The length of notice required to leave would depend on the flatshare agreement signed or even verbal agreement. A reasonable notice would be 4 weeks notice.
This varies again according to each landlord but as a rule of thumb, a month’s deposit and a month’s rent is usually required upfront.
The live-in landlord would generally hold the deposit which will be subject to the terms and condition of your flatshare agreement. For a live-out landlord, tenants should be aware that since 6 April 2007, all deposits (for rent up to £25,000 per annum) taken by landlords for Assured Shorthold Tenancies in England and Wales must be protected by a tenancy deposit protection scheme. From this date, tenants should ask their landlord about the details of the scheme protecting their deposit when signing a new tenancy agreement. There are two types of scheme: a single custodial scheme and two insurance-based schemes. More information can be found on www.communities.gov.uk under the Housing section.
Everything would depend on the new agreement you sign with either the existing flatmate(s) or Landlord. If it is a new flatshare agreement with a live-in Landlord, then it is quite straightforward and any terms would be negotiated with the Landlord. If you are taking over a flatshare from an outgoing tenant sharing with other tenants in the house, it is likely that you would need to sign a fresh Assured Shorthold Tenancy with the existing tenants. In this instance, you are advised to ask for a copy of the existing agreement to ensure you are happy with the terms of the tenancy before agreeing to take the room. It is likely that under the existing tenancy agreement, the tenants may be jointly and severally liable for any damages or failure to comply with the terms of the agreement. This means for example, that if the other tenants do not pay their rent, the Landlord has the right to recover his losses from any tenants named in the agreement.