HOUSEMATES

“Hell is other people,” said French existentialist philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre. But, if you choose your housemates wisely, it needn’t be that way.

As UCL students, you can live happily together, support each other and make the best friends you’ll ever have.

From finding the right housemates to setting a rota, this section will reveal the secrets of living together successfully.

Living together

Think about…

Who you get on with.
How clean you are and your expectations of others.
How much time you’ll end up spending together.

Choosing housemates

Choosing housemates can be tricky, you want to know that you will be compatible living together. Some things to consider when choosing housemates include: do your budgets match up? Do your personalities match up? How similar are your schedules? Are you messy or tidy? Do you like a quiet house or a lively house?

If you still don’t have a clear idea about who you will be searching for your next years accommodation, both UCL Accommodation and the University of London Housing Service have a few ways to help:

UCL Accommodation runs weekly online socials to help you get to know your fellow residents and find potential housemates.
The University of London Housing Service (ULHS) have a Flatmate Finder dedicated to helping you find the right housemate for you.

Be a good housemate

Living away from home for the first time can be a daunting and lonely experience, especially in a big city like London and your fellow housemates may be feeling just as unsure as you, even if they don’t show it, so remember to:

Look out for each other. Whether that means making sure you stick together and get home safely on a night out, or checking up on one another’s mental health.
Check up on each other. If a housemate who been a bit quiet or down – check up on them.
Take shared responsibility for the everyday house issues. Come to an agreement over who is responsible for what, and consider making a rota for keeping the communal areas tidy and clean. Having a clear sense of your responsibilities to each other should mitigate some tensions in a household.

THINGS TO THINK
ABOUT AND DISCUSS
WITH YOUR HOUSEMATES

DISPOSABLE INCOME

Once rent, bills and other essentials are accounted for, will one flatmate be struggling financially whilst the others can afford to go out regularly?

CLEANING

What is ‘acceptable’ to you in terms of cleanliness and tidiness? Will you set-up a cleaning rota and all pitch in, or will cleaning be more of an ‘as and when’ (or never…) task?

TIMETABLES

Are you an early riser or a night-owl? Will your housemates be up and about while you are trying to sleep?

PETS

Any pets should be agreed with your flatmates as well as the landlord or agent. Are your flatmates happy to take care of your pet if you go away for a few days?

NOISE

Do you study mostly at home or in the library? Will you need a quiet living environment or are you looking for a sociable home-life?

CONTRACT START AND END DATES

Do you all need the accommodation for the same length of time? Will someone need to leave part-way through the year for an elective placement or semester abroad?

GUESTS

Are you expecting to have your partner stay over regularly? Will there be an agreed ‘limit’ on guests, after which your more frequent visitors are asked to contribute to a share of the bills?

HOUSEHOLD NECESSITIES

When it comes to things like washing up liquid, toilet roll and salt and pepper, will you all buy everything individually or will you buy them as a house and split the costs?

WHAT ELSE IS IN THIS SECTION

Where and when to look

Where can you find a great place? When’s the ideal time to start searching for properties?

All the answers you need are right here in our videos.

Budgeting and travel costs

How to set a budget and stick to it. How to get a better deal on all your household utilities.

Check out the ideas that will save you money – and hassle.