Couples co-habit to combat rental crisis

The number of couples living in a flatshare has increased dramatically since the pandemic.

New data from Spareroom reveals the number of people flat sharing as a couple increased by 67% in 2023 (compared to 2019).

The website says almost half of couples (47%) state that the primary reason for deciding to move in together in a flatshare is to ease the financial burden even though it’s not particularly romantic.

Keep costs down

The latest rental data shows that average monthly room rents in London and the UK stand at £1,014 and £739.

According to Spareroom, 41% of couples living with their partner in a flatshare are in their 20s and predominantly live in London (49%), where rents have skyrocketed since the pandemic, whilst wages have stagnated.

Matt Hutchinson, SpareRoom director, said: “Living with a significant other is often seen as a mark of adulthood, but with the rental crisis showing few signs of easing, and rents hitting an all-time high in 2023, our research is showing that many couples are opting to live in shared housing over their own space in order to keep costs down.

“Besides the advantage of paying reduced rent – living together as a couple in a house share is a practical solution that can be great under the right circumstances, and is also a good way to try cohabiting before making any major financial commitments.”

Faced challenges when living together

However, whilst 66% say they enjoy the experience of living as a couple in a flatshare, 46% of couples said they’ve faced challenges when living together.

Common concerns included a lack of privacy and space. Couples say agreeing key information beforehand, making time for each other, communicating, avoiding arguments, and working from home on different days are all ways cohabiting couples in flatshares try and make it work.

According to the website, 62% of renters admit they don’t enjoy living with a couple in their flatshare, stating reasons such as having to wait to use the kitchen (52%), less space (42%) and extra noise (40%).