Since moving to London last September, I rediscovered the joys of house-sharing. In Britain, people tend to keep co-living for a long time so they can live in a bigger house, be nearer the city center and enjoy a more convivial atmosphere. They only leave the house or flat share when they decide to get married and/or have children.
It’s an intermediary step between the parental home and married life without any of the loneliness. It’s an ideal solution for long-term or momentary singleness.
The main website for renting a room in the UK is Spareroom.com, created by Rupert Hunt in 2004 in Manchester after discovering house-sharing when he moved to London to play with a band.
Today, the site receives more than 2 million visitors every month (11 times more than the Guardian newspaper) and has become one of the UK’s leading real-estate rental site.
House-sharing as a way to facilitate access to affordable accommodation?
In Britain, house-sharing makes life easier for people with limited income or who want to stay for a short period of time. While in France, it is impossible to find a rental without a permanent job contract and guarantor earning 3 times your rent.
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