HMO tenants would pay more for compatible housemates

Four in 10 HMO tenants say they would pay more in rent to live with housemates they knew would be a good fit.

Some would also stay longer if they had a say in who gets the room next door.

The findings come from shared living platform COHO’s State of Shared Living Report, based on responses from 5,145 UK HMO tenants.

It found that 16% would rent their home for longer if they were consulted about who moved in.

Choosing HMO housemates

COHO’s chief executive and founder, Vann Vogstad, said: “Our research exposes a major gap in the way shared living works today.

“We ask people to share their homes with complete strangers, yet in many cases they are given little or no information about who they are going to live with.”

He added: “Tenants are telling us clearly that they want more transparency, more choice and greater compatibility with the people they live with.

“Shared living should not mean accepting whoever happens to be allocated the room next door.”

Housemate information and safety

More than half of respondents wanted greater input into who joined their household, while 42% moved in with little or no information about their prospective housemates.

Mr Vogstad said: “Tenants feeling unsafe in their own home, even once, is not something the sector can ignore.”

The research found that 21% had felt unsafe at some point during their tenancy because of a housemate.

Among tenants aged 45 and over, that figure rose to 27%.

Shared living beyond students

Meanwhile, more than 40% of respondents were aged 30 or over, with 89% of that group in paid work.

Mr Vogstad said: “There is also an outdated view that HMOs are simply student housing or a last resort for people who cannot afford to live alone.”

The research found that 55% regarded shared living as a lifestyle choice rather than a last resort.