Flatsharers prefer to spend Christmas in their flatshares

• Rents have continued to rise
• Flatsharers prefer to spend the festive period with their flatmates

The total number of individuals looking to flatshare in the UK has remained consistently high in the run up to Christmas according to global flatsharing website Easyroommate.co.uk . Towards the end of the year, there is typically a fall in the number of users registering on the website, as the number of students actively searching for a flatshare declines. However when compared to the number of users in December 2012, the figures have stayed consistently healthy and the number of users actively searching for a room or house mate in the run up to Christmas represents a significant shift in attitudes to flat sharing.

A recent survey conducted by Easyroommate on the holiday season has discovered that nearly a third of respondents who spent Christmas with their flatmates did so because they preferred to stay in their flatshare, whilst 30% of respondents only did so because family lived too far away, and this was closely followed by not having enough money to visit family (23%) or staying in their shared home due to work commitments (17%).

Two-thirds of the individuals who stayed in their flat share over Christmas got into the festive spirit  with 15% only exchanging gifts and 46% not only exchanged gifts but also enjoying Christmas lunch together.

Rishi Patel, UK manager of Easyroommate comments: “We have noticing that since last year more people are choosing to spending Christmas in their flatshares, as a result they are looking for ways to replicate what they would typically do with their family with their housemates. Who can to a certain extent become like extended family.

When compared to last year's findings, more people chose to spend Christmas with their family in 2013 than in 2012, however there has been a 5% increase in the number of individuals who prefer to stay in their shared homes. Across Europe, British based flatmates were more likely to get into the festive spirit with the number of people choosing to give gifts or have a meal whilst 48% of Italians and nearly 60% of French flatsharers chose to do nothing.

Himani, an Easyroommate user said “I chose to stay in my shared house because my family live far away, my housemates could tell that I was missing my family and so they very kindly surprised me with some presents. We had a fantastic day, and my housemates are practically family anyway."

Rental asking prices also rose in December taking the average UK rent from £388 to £390, despite this flatsharing rents are still considerably cheaper than the average UK rent which stood at £753[1] per month in November.

Rishi Patel continues: Despite rents rising, choosing to live in a flatshare is still considerably cheaper than living alone, and this is great news for people currently looking for accommodation.  Christmas is typically a very expensive time of year, by choosing to flatshare you can be reassured that you are at least saving money on accommodation costs.  

-- ENDS --

NOTES TO EDITORS

EASYROOMMATE

Easyroommate.co.uk is the world's number one flatshare and houseshare website.  It has been running for over ten years and operates in 31 countries across the world, in 12 different languages.  The site is safe, scam free and all the content is up to date.  Its advanced search facilities set it apart from other flatshare websites: Easyroommate does not keep outdated ads to misrepresent its content or artificially increase its database.

CONTACT

Maya Harruna: maya.harruna@easyroommate.com

0207 758 4609