Blueprint for the perfect housemate revealed

Single, aged 27, quiet, in employment, clean and tidy. Those are the qualities required for the perfect housemate, according to a survey.

Recent research has shown that 58 per cent of Brits were prepared to pack up and leave a shared house if they didn’t like their housemate.

MORE TH>N Landlord Insurance’s survey of more than 1,000 people living in shared accommodation from across the UK looked for the most and least desirable qualities in a housemate.

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93 per cent of those questioned stated that who they live withuis important, while 43 per cent even confessed if they had to choose they would prefer to live with a female over a male.

Around a quarter of those questioned had a more relaxed attitude - one in four (26 per cent) thought a cleaning rota was unnecessary, with a similar number believing that it was OK to take someone else’s food from the kitchen. Over one in five (21 per cent) also believed that they shouldn’t have to let their housemates know if they are planning to play music in their room.

However, the research also revealed the worst characteristics in a housemate, which include being too messy (77 per cent) and too loud (56 per cent). Smokers were also singled out, with just under a third of respondents admitting they wouldn’t want to live with someone that smokes.

Almost half (45 per cent) of Brits have confessed they have lived with a ‘bad’ housemate in the past, and this has also been to the detriment of the landlord, with a shocking 40 per cent admitting their housemate has caused considerable damage to the house, resulting in an average of £260 worth of damage per house. The most common damages include spillages on the carpet (64 per cent), marks on the walls (38 per cent), broken door handles (29 per cent) and broken appliances (28 per cent). These damages have caused 27 per cent to lose their deposit, with the average landlord claiming back £175 per housemate in damage compensation.

The top 12 desirable qualities in a housemate:

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1. Single, and aged 27 years’ old, young enough to still want to go to the latest gigs, but old enough to have respect around the house;

2. Considerate and respectful of others, clean and tidy both in private and communal areas, with a positive attitude;

3. In full time employment, meaning they are out of the house at work for a set number of hours every day/night;

4. Interested in TV, food & cooking and film & cinema, so they are able to add some culture to the house;

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5. Throws no more than five house parties a year that must end at 12pm and that have consent of the rest of the house;

6. Has friends or a partner round no more than four times a month;

7. Spends 2 hours and 18 minutes with their housemates a month, enabling them to get to know those they are living with;

8. Would rustle up a meal for their fellow housemates four times a month,ensuring the house as a whole is eating together regularly;

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9. Would clean up their mess in less than 26 minutes after cooking and clean communal areas three times a month;

10. Silent as a mouse past 9pm on a weeknight, to ensure respect to other housemates that may need to get up early for work;

11. Contributes £15 a month to the house for communal goods such as cleaning products, milk and tea bags;

12. ALWAYS pays their bill on time, without any delay or chasing whatsoever.