With home ownership out of reach for millions of young Brits, a new report reveals as many as 64% of Brits under the age of 35 have no option but to rent and cohabit.
Yet sadly, just four in ten (40%) are currently living with their perfect housemate - while the remaining 60% confess they are not keen on the person or people they share a house with.
The research reveals that top of the list of desirable qualities is always paying rent on time (50%), as well as being fair with the bills (46%).
According to the survey, under-35s also believe the perfect housemate is good with money (31%), cleans up after themselves (44%) and respects your boundaries (46%).
The perfect room mate also cooks nice dinners (18%), shares their Netflix account (17%), has good movie taste (16%), and doesn’t pilfer your leftovers (20%) or worse, come home from the pub with random people (21%).
Overall, 97% agree that being mindful of energy use is an important trait in a housemate, with not leaving the hot tap running (25%) and turning off the TV when not watching it (25%) making the list.
Unsurprisingly, people who leave empty milk cartons in the fridge (26%), hog the bathroom (26%) are a definite no-no, as well as flatmates who leave pots and pans “to soak” (22%).
A confident eight in ten (85%) believe they are themselves, the ideal roomie.
As well as wanting their housemates to be conscious of their energy use, the research from Smart Energy GB found that 95% of young renters also want to live in an energy efficient property.
When it comes to finding the perfect rental property, the cost of rent (66%), the size of rooms (50%), the number of bedrooms (41%), being close to the shops (38%), the surrounding area (37%) and having bills included (34%) are all important factors.
