Are you the perfect housemate?

With two thirds (63 percent) of young renters aged between 18 and 34 having lived with housemates, finding ways the right person to share your home has become increasingly important.

New research polled 2,001 Gen Z and Millennial renters to discover the deal makers, and breakers, when it comes to sharing your home with another person.

Top of the list was always paying rent on time (50 percent), followed by respecting other people’s boundaries (46 percent) as well as being fair with the bills (46 percent) and always cleaning up after yourself (44 percent). 

Taking the bins out (38 percent), doing your share of the chores without complaining (36 percent), not making too much noise (32 percent) and not leaving electrical appliances running all day (27 percent) also featured high on the list.

Unsurprisingly, people who leave empty milk cartons in the fridge (26 percent), hog the bathroom (26 percent), and come home from the pub with random people (21 percent) are a definite no-no, as well as flatmates who pilfer food from the fridge (20 percent).

Eight in ten (86 percent) say their idea of a perfect housemate has changed as they’ve gotten older, with more than half (57 percent) now wanting someone who is mindful about their energy use and four in ten (40 percent) wanting someone who cares about the environment and behaves in a sustainable way.

47 percent want a housemate that is good with money, while a further third (33 percent) say they would prefer a person who likes nights in and not nights out.

In fact, almost all (97 percent) young renters agree that being mindful of energy use is an important trait in a housemate. The list of desirable green behaviours includes always turning the lights off when leaving a room (30 percent), not leaving the hot tap running (25 percent), turning off the TV when not watching it (25 percent) and recycling (24 percent).

As well as wanting their housemates to be conscious of their energy use, the research from Smart Energy GB found that 95 percent of young renters also want to live in an energy efficient property. In fact, 63 percent of respondents had walked away from a property with poor energy efficiency such as no double glazing, no smart meter or poor insulation.

Victoria Bacon, Smart Energy GB, said: “It’s clear that being energy efficient and living sustainably are really important housemate qualities for young people. A great way for your household to be as energy efficient as possible is to get a smart meter, as it comes with an in-home display that shows you at a glance how much energy you’re using and what it’s costing you.

“Requesting a smart meter from your energy supplier is easy to do and comes at no extra cost. If you rent and the energy bill is in your name, you can ask your energy supplier to fit a smart meter. If your landlord pays the bills, ask them if they would be happy to arrange the upgrade.”

When it comes to finding the perfect rental property, the cost of rent (66 percent), the size of rooms (50 percent), the number of bedrooms (41 percent), being close to the shops (38 percent), the surrounding area (37 percent) and having bills included (34 percent) are all important factors.

Other features of the home that are important to young renters include better heating (28 percent), double glazing (20 percent), and having a smart meter installed to help save energy (19 percent).

One in three (30 percent) love living with a housemate, while half (50 percent) admit they like it most of the time.

More than eight in ten (85 percent) believe they ARE the ideal roomie, while just four in ten (46 percent) say they are currently living with their perfect housemate.

Despite this, almost seven in ten (67 percent) have best friends that started out as a flatmate.

45 SIGNS THAT YOU’RE A PERFECT FLATMATE, ACCORDING TO MODERN RENTERS:

1. Pays rent on time – 50%
2. Respects your boundaries – 46%
3. Fair with bills – 46%
4. Always cleans up after themselves – 44%
5. Takes the bins out – 38%
6. Always knocks before entering the room – 36%
7. Does their share of chores without complaining – 36%
8. Shares the costs of cleaning supplies – 34%
9. Has a great sense of humour – 32%
10. Wipes down surfaces after using – 32%
11. Doesn’t make a lot of noise – 32%
12. Is good with money – 31%
13. Always turns lights off when leaving a room – 30%
14. Doesn’t slam doors or cupboards – 27%
15. Doesn’t put empty milk cartons back in the fridge – 26%
16. Doesn’t hog the bathroom – 26%
17. Is energy efficient – 26%
18. Doesn’t leave the hot tap running – 25%
19. Always turn off the TV when they’re done watching it – 25%
20. Turns off plugs on appliances when not in use – 24%
21. Recycles – 24%
22. Never leaves pots and pans ‘to soak’ – 22%
23. Always on hand for a chat when you need them – 22%
24. Doesn’t come home late from the pub with randoms – 21%
25. Has good music taste – 21%
26. Puts the toilet seat down – 20%
27. Doesn’t eat your leftovers – 20%
28. Sticks to their shelf in the fridge/freezer – 19%
29. Cooks’ dinner – 18%
30. Let’s you share their Netflix account – 17%
31. Doesn’t moan about your TV choices – 17%
32. Has good movie taste – 16%
33. Doesn’t secretly turn the heating up – 16%
34. Asks permission to post pics of you on social media – 15%
35. Bulk buys loo roll and cleaning supplies – 14%
36. Gives you lifts – 13%
37. Doesn’t give TV and movie spoilers – 13%
38. Makes you a cup of tea/coffee without you asking – 12%
39. Has a glass half full personality – 12%
40. Goes away some weekends – 12%
41. Likes to bake – 10%
42. Only uses the dishwasher when it’s full – 10%
43. Doesn’t use the tumble dryer on sunny days – 10%
44. Handles the DIY – 9%
45. Makes a good Sunday lunch – 9%