The ultimate guide to professional house shares

House sharing has never been as popular amongst young professionals in Leeds and further afield. In this article, we’ll outline what a professional house share is and some of the critical things you need to consider when finding housemates and a property.

What is a professional house share?

You might be wondering, ‘what does professional house share mean?’

A professional house share is where there is more than one working person living in a rental property, sharing communal areas such as the kitchen, bathroom and living room while maintaining separate bedrooms.

The accommodation might be an apartment or a house, and the housemates may or may not have known each other before living together.

The benefits of living in a young professional house share

The increase in popularity of professional house shares is due to the myriad benefits that come with this type of living situation.

Cheaper rent

Young professionals are often at the bottom of their career ladder, meaning their pay isn’t what it will be when they’ve nailed that promotion.

While living on a lower salary, it can be challenging to find accommodation in a convenient location for an affordable price — and this is where a shared house offers the ideal solution.

While a one-bedroom flat close to a city centre would be costly, a room in a house share is far more affordable and so convenient.

For example, a one-bedroomed apartment in Leeds city centre can cost renters £850+ per month.

House shares offer similar accommodation for much less money.

Better locations

To find a cheaper alternative, a tenant might look at suburbs, but not all of them are desirable or well-connected with transport links, meaning getting to the office can involve multiple buses and trains — and, therefore, lots of time and money.

A professional house share solves this issue, with cheaper rent and properties in better locations.

For example, our house shares for young professionals are in the city centre or convenient suburbs with quick and cheap commutes.

Take a look at our Professional House Shares

Cheaper bills

Not only is your rent cheaper in a house share, but the bills will be split between all of the tenants, too — so, often, the more housemates, the cheaper the bills cost per person.

An in-built social life

On top of this, if you’ve moved to a new area, a house share can offer social opportunities with housemates, their friends and family. If you’re an extrovert or ambivert, you’re bound to love there always being someone around to chat to, as well!

Saving for a home of your own

While paying a low rent, you can be putting away some money every month to save up for a deposit on a property of your own.

Often, that’s not possible when you are living alone, as the living costs are too high.

How to find a professional house share

There are many ways to find your ideal professional house share and housemates.

Talk to your colleagues at work, and you might find a like-minded co-worker who would like to move into a shared house or someone who already lives in one and is looking for an additional housemate.

One of your friends may want to join you in a house share, too, so have a chat with your friendship groups about your plans; you may even inspire someone else to make a move out of their parents’ house.

If you find that you don’t know anyone who would like to join you in a house share, don’t worry — there are plenty of young professionals in the same situation.

If you live in Leeds (or want to move to Leeds for work), contact Pickard Properties, and we can let you know when a suitable room becomes available in a professional house share.

There might even be a room available immediately for you to move into.

When choosing the perfect houseshare for you, take a look at this list of questions to ask a potential housemate.

Tips for living in a professional house share

If you went to university, you might well be used to living in a student house share, and a professional house share won’t be much different — you’ll all just be a bit older and working hard on your careers.

If you’ve not lived in a house share before, then you’ll find it very different to living with your parents, as housemates won’t necessarily be as forgiving of your bad habits!

However, if you go into a house share knowing that you will be expected to contribute to the running of the household in terms of tidying and cleaning, then you will be fine.

Arguments about cleaning can be easily avoided by the early introduction of a cleaning rota. Take a look at our blog post on how to create a house share cleaning rota to get started.

Make sure to consider your housemates when making decisions involving the house. For example, your housemates might not appreciate you not tidying the kitchen up immediately when you’ve cooked or inviting guests over regularly.

Clear and open communication — and not letting issues fester — will go a long way in avoiding potential conflict.

Most people clash once in a while when they live together, which is nothing to worry about, but you can maintain a general level of harmony by following our tips on how to have a happy house share.

You can browse our professional house shares in Leeds on our website, or get in touch to discuss your individual requirements.