A new survey gives an insight into problems involving tenants who share apartments and houses - and how those difficulties could spill over to rent and landlords.
The Barclays Money survey shows some flat-sharers lose an average £552 due to ‘nightmare housemates’ not pulling their financial weight, and no fewer than 54 per cent of those living in shared accommodation say they have become financially worse off as a result of an unreliable flatmate.
For 35 per cent of housemates, their co-habitants not cleaning up after themselves was the top pet peeve, followed closely by stealing food without replacing it (29 per cent) or inviting friends over without asking (28 per cent).
Three in 10 say they have lost their cool over their flatmate not contributing to shared staple household items like toilet paper, tea bags and milk, and more than a quarter admit being angry over their flatmate not paying bills on time.
Almost half have had a good friendship go sour as a result of living with a friend.
Predictably, two thirds of people living in shared households found it more difficult during nationwide lockdown in March, with arguments becoming more intense.
Interestingly, six in 10 claim that lockdown has made them reconsider their preferences for a flatmate.
A big majority - 80 per cent - would rather their flatmate was boring but paid bills and rent on time. Other important qualities for a flatmate to possess post lockdown, include being clean, honest and good with money.
Other issues for disputes include not replacing key household items when they finish, hogging the TV and broadband, bad bathroom etiquette, not recycling properly, leaving laundry around the house, or taking too long in the bathroom.
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Surely thus article can't be right, unless the offending flatmates are their landlords and not fellow tenants?
After all, everything must be the landlord's fault - not the tenant's - unless there is a conspiracy afoot among some so-called "charities" to unjustly villlify landlords and sanctify tenants?
Isn't it just the same living with family? You don't need to share with flatmates to have people hog the bathroom, 'forget' to change the toilet roll, hog the TV, etc...
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