The shared housing sector is facing a compatibility crisis, with 40% of tenants saying they have either moved out or would consider doing so because of tensions with their housemates, according to new research from HMO management platform COHO.
In a new national survey, COHO found that while 74% of co-living tenants claim to get on well with their housemates, more than one in four report regular friction – caused less by personality clashes and more by everyday annoyances.
Top of the list? Messiness, with housemates who neglect cleaning duties drawing the most complaints.
Chore-dodging and disagreements over TV and movie preferences came second and third, respectively.
TENANT FLASHPOINTS
Other flashpoints include failing to contribute to communal supplies like milk and toilet roll, late-night noise, and inviting guests over without warning. Food theft ranked seventh, followed by smoking indoors. Intrusive bedroom noise and bad music taste completed the top 10.
The problem is exacerbated by the fact that most tenants live with strangers. COHO’s internal data shows 86% of shared housing tenants did not know their housemates beforehand, while nearly half live with five or more people.
HIGH CHURN RATE
Vann Vogstad, COHO Chief Executive, says that the lack of housemate compatibility is fuelling a high churn rate and undermining tenant wellbeing.
“You can be best friends or a long-term couple and still clash,” he said. “But it’s much worse when you’re living with people who do your head in – and that’s more likely when you’ve had no real opportunity to get to know them first.”
Vogstad warns that this persistent issue is creating “unnecessary void periods and time-consuming tenant searches” for landlords.
COHO is calling for a shift in how tenants are matched, advocating for a model where personality fit and lifestyle alignment are prioritised from the outset.
Vogstad adds: “If 40% of tenants are willing to leave over housemate issues, then this isn’t a lifestyle quirk – it’s a business problem.”
