FAQs Sharers

A: Our Sharers come from a variety of different backgrounds and walks of life. There is a minimum age of 23 and they tend to be a mixture of mature students, young professionals and people working in the public sector such as nurses and teachers. Many are looking for affordable accommodation in London for good access to their studies or place of work, or they are simply keen to save extra cash every month. As a Sharer you need to be a kind, mature and responsible individual willing to spend at least 10 hours a week helping the Homeowner with everyday domestic tasks and providing some companionship.

A: This is agreed upon beforehand with the Homeowner. In exchange for sharing a room in the home, you are expected to give about 10 hours of time each week to help the Homeowner with practical tasks. This may include cooking, light cleaning, shopping, running errands, DIY, pet care, gardening, etc. Homeowners tend to look for someone who can give them a sense of security at night as well as some companionship. Depending on their tastes this may involve watching TV together, computer assistance or perhaps making a trip to the shops, the park or even the theatre. You are not expected or permitted to give any personal care.

A: We need three references, including professional/employment, university or college and a current Enhanced DBS certificate. We can help you arrange for this if you don’t have one.

A: There is no exchange of money between you and the Homeowner for the accommodation. For facilitating the homeshare, we charge you a monthly fee of £199 per month, starting from the date you move in with the Homeowner. This works out at just over £6 a day and is a significant saving on typical accommodation costs, particularly in a big city such as London.

A:  The Homeowner continues to pay the bills but can request a small contribution from you. If you are a student you will be exempt from Council Tax but if you are working and the Homeowner is claiming a single person’s 25% discount, this may be withdrawn from them by the local council and the Homeowner may ask you to make a contribution. We would not expect any contribution towards bills and council tax to be more than £30 a month.

A: Most Homeowners will have Wifi in the home or will be asked to set it up before the homeshare starts.

A: We understand that change can be hard for the Homeowners especially when a close relationship develops, so we look for Sharers who are in a position to commit for at least one year. Many homeshares last several years. Sometimes it might come to a natural end as you finish your studies or or your personal circumstances change. Sadly, it may also be that the Homeowner passes away or needs to move into a nursing home. In this instance we do our best to re-match you with a new Homeowner as soon as we can.

A: Usually our Sharers do stay in the home seven nights a week. If you want to spend a night out of the home each week or have any weekends or trips planned, this is something that we will discuss and agree with you and the Homeowner during the matching process and before you move in.

A: For any new homeshare there is a trial period of 4 weeks; after that you must give the Homeowner one months’ notice to terminate the arrangement. This is a fair amount of time to enable them to find a new Sharer. We ask you to get in touch with us at the earliest opportunity if you have any concerns so that we can discuss these with you and try to help resolve them.

A: Most accommodation is fully-furnished. However, if you have a particular requirement, please raise it with us.