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Flatsharing Brits are losing out on friendships AND £552-a-year due to nightmare housemates not pulling their weight financially, according to research.
This adds up to a staggering £434 million annually across 747,000 households, with 54 per cent admitting they are worse off because of an unreliable flatmate.
As a result, 66 per cent admitted they are reluctant to live with a good friend in case it ends up ruining their friendship.
The research, by Barclays Money Mentors, polled 1,200 people in the UK - not including couples or related people - currently living in a house-share or have within the last 12 months.
Despite the good intentions from 31 per cent of people living in flatshares who open shared bank accounts with their flatmates, 37 per cent need to regularly remind their flatmates to put their share of the funds in the account.
And £46 was revealed to be the tipping point after which people will no longer let their flatmate’s debts slide and will confront them over the money they owe.
But this has led to 46 per cent seeing a good friendship go sour as a result of living with a friend.
With household un-harmony rife, 47 per cent of housemates would wait a month to see if things got better over time before bringing it to their attention.
On the flip side, 25 per cent would speak up immediately and 15 per cent would take the pragmatic approach of waiting three months to see if things got better.
Relationship expert, Jo Barnett, has partnered with Barclays to offer tips on how to regain household harmony as lockdown covers Britain once more.
She said: “Maintaining positive relationships is a huge part of our overall happiness – especially with those you see day in, day out, such as your flatmates.
“There is no question it has been a tough year for everyone – pandemic restrictions and a lack of freedom has meant people have a shorter fuse – and this has been heightened for people living in shared accommodation up and down the country.
“My simple tips for how to maintain household harmony will help keep rows with your roomies at bay.”
The research also uncovered the most annoying behaviours winding up flatmates.
For more than a third, their co-habitants not cleaning up after themselves (35 per cent) was the top pet peeve, followed by stealing food without replacing it (29 per cent) or inviting friends over without asking (28 per cent).
But three in 10 have lost their cool over their flatmate not contributing to shared staple household items like toilet paper, tea bags and milk.
And 27 per cent admitted to going nuclear over their flatmate not paying bills on time.
Predictably, 66 per cent of people living in shared households found it more difficult during nationwide lockdown in March, with arguments becoming more intense.
For six in 10, lockdown has even made them reconsider their preferences for a flatmate, according to the OnePoll data.
Zainab Kwaw-Swanzy, millennial finance expert at Barclays Money Mentors, said: “Living with others can be tough – something that lockdown certainly heightened for many people across the UK.
“With financial struggles being something that is often argued about, our Money Mentors sessions – which offers free, impartial financial advice – may help turn ‘flatmares’ back into flatmates.”
The Money Mentors sessions, open to members of any bank, offer cohabiters free, impartial financial guidance. The virtual appointments can be booked online at www.barclays.co.uk/money-
JO BARNETT’S TOP TIPS FOR FLATMATES
1. Set house rules:
The great thing about living with housemates is that everyone brings something unique to the house. But this also means that you’re likely to have different ideas on what is and isn’t acceptable at home. The easiest way to ensure the household stays harmonious? Set up house rules that you all agree on. Once you have your bespoke set of rules, be respectful of them and away you go.
2. Tech-iquette:
Set up a house WhatsApp group that helps you keep on track with the house rules – you can use this to share reminders for bills / household matters – but you can also use it as a place to bond with your housemates… who doesn’t like being sent a funny meme?
3. Set up a separate kitty and budget ahead:
Budget, budget, budget. Sit down with your housemates, discuss and agree financial household needs, set up a joint account and ask your flatmates to deposit the required funds.
4. Come into the boardroom…
Face-to-face chats as a group really go a long way to relieving pressures and allowing everyone to voice their concerns, as long as they are set up in the right way. You can always disguise one of those ‘house chats’ by ordering in a takeaway and making it part of a wider catch-up.
5. It’s nice to be nice
Take the time to say hello to your housemates when you see them and ask how they are doing; some people could be struggling without you knowing it.
6. Set up a house cup:
We missed the European Championships this year, those heady summer days in beer gardens following your team were sorely missed. One fun tip would be bringing in your own flat league, award points for food shops, unstacking the dishwasher and cracking out the hoover. We all love a bit of competition (but keep it friendly).
ENDS
