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How to Find a Great Professional House Share in London

If you’ve ever felt restless, a bit lost in your career, stuck in a rut but think you are way too young to be having a mid-life crisis, don’t worry you are not alone! According to a recent study by LinkedIn, almost three-quarters (72 percent) of young professionals in the UK have experienced a quarter-life crisis, leading them to reassess their career path and life choices.

A key reason for this early onset of feelings of confusion and distress has been pinpointed as the delay in our generation of buying a home. The study also revealed that of the many pressures young people face that can lead to these crises, the top two are getting on to the property ladder (57 percent) and finding a career you’re passionate about (57 percent) – both ranking higher than the pressure of finding a life-partner (46 percent).

Whereas thirty years ago by our late 20s or early 30s most of us had bought a place of our own, it is now still a distant dream, particularly for those living in London. What’s more, whilst most people enjoyed living in a flatshare at university or in their early 20s, there is a transition between what students want in a housemate – think late-nights, beer kegs and loud music, to what professionals want – think early starts, an espresso machine and podcasts.

So, how do you get the balance right and make the transition to a ‘Professional’ house share to ensure you have the quality of life and peace of mind into your 30s?

1. Be ruthless in who you live with!

There comes a time when you have to make the hard decision that living with the guy who hasn’t moved on from uni isn’t leading to a good living experience. You know the one we mean – still tries to sneak into uni nights, loiters around the student unions trying to pick up a fresher and is still wearing his Snowsport society T-shirt from his skiing trip to Val Thorens in 2006. It might have been funny five years ago, and you still love the guy, but making the decision to live with someone with the same outlook as you is the first step to finding a better house share.

2. Ask the right questions

When you’ve made the decision to look for a new living partner, it’s important you get to know them as best you can before moving in together. We’ve all been on first dates where the guy has seemed like Brad Pitt, only to turn into more of a Harvey Weinstein the next time you meet them. To help narrow down the options, Ideal Flatmate has developed 20 questions to take about your living habits and lifestyle. The answers will then pair you up with like-minded flat sharers so you have a better chance of getting it right! To get started and matched up with people you are likely to get along with, give the questions a go here.

3. Get serious about washing up

It is fair to say that the idea of living in a perpetual mess with dishes and pizza boxes lying around for weeks loses its appeal as you enter your late 20s. While the person always cleaning up and telling everyone off might have been the annoying housemate at university, when living in a professional flatshare, this becomes the norm rather than the exception. Consider setting up some sort of cleaning and washing up rota to make sure no-one skips their duties too regularly!

4. Think about cooking your own food!

Another great discovery once you move on from late night pizza, kebabs and frozen food is that you can actually cook for yourself and your flatmates! This doesn’t even have to be a complicated process involving spending hours finding the right ingredients. We’ve teamed up with our friends at Simply Cook, who will deliver to your doorstep everything you need to make one of their delicious recipes. Just click the Simply Cook link on our ‘Services’ page to claim a special introductory offer of 4 meals for just £1. You can get some brownie points by cooking your housemates a surprise dinner!

5. Take up a hobby

We all know that as Millenials, we like spending our money on ‘experiences’ (preferably Instagrammable ones of course) rather than ‘things’. What better way to bond with your professional housemates than doing something together regularly that doesn’t involve just sitting in front of the 1,000th rerun of Friends. Why not get down to a regular spin class on a Saturday morning, or sign up to Our Parks, a completely free initiative which runs outdoor fitness sessions in open spaces across the UK. What better way of getting outside, doing some exercise and doing something positive with your housemates.