Latest news with #SpareRoom
Glasgow Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Londoners outraged at landlord over £2,200 cat sitting fee
The advert, posted to SpareRoom, a website designed for finding flatmates and rooms in shared accommodation, is for a one-bed balcony property in the Surrey Quays area. Asking for a rental price of £2,200 per calendar month, the landlord described the property as "stylish" and "comfortable". Adding that the flat is "bright and modern" and in a "well-connected London neighbourhood". However, it was the home's description or price tag that left Londoners confused. In the rental details for the property, one Londoner noticed that the landlord added a note, reading: "The flat comes with the lovely responsibility of caring for two well-behaved cats during your stay." Leading to some locals suggesting that the landlord would seemingly be charging a tenant £2,200 for them to have to cat sit. Londoners outraged over £2,200 cat sitting fee The advert on SpareRoom was posted to the Reddit group r/London with one user captioning the post "Pay me £2200 a month to cat sit MY CATS". The post quickly gained attention and stirred up debate among fellow Reddit users. One person wrote: "Sounds like Airbnb wouldn't let them list 'cat sitting' as a condition for guests, so they're trying their luck on SpareRoom." Another person suggested that the landlord should offer a discount to tenants: "If they want a catsitter, they should be paying the catsitter or at least offering a substantial discount for being a catsitter for a month." A third Londoner described the tenancy as "torture", saying: "This would be torture. The landlord would be checking in like every day on the cats." Recommended Reading Revealed: The 10 London postcodes where rent is still less than £900 New homes being built in Greenwich hits ten-year low amid housebuilding 'crisis' The surprising real reason you're paying £8 for a pint in London pubs One Reddit user shared that it was not the first time they'd come across a 'cat sitting' service, writing: "I actually saw an ad like this recently on SpareRoom that was written from the perspective of the cats. It was psychotic." A final confused reader wrote: "It would cost about £2k per month to get an overnight cat sitter from Cat in the flat for 31 days, this person is absolutely mad. "Who would respond to this ad? Why would someone pay you to mind your flat?"
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
London landlord slammed after advertising a 'beautiful' room for £1,175 per month with a SINGLE BED - and that's not the only major con
A London-based landlord has met with furious criticism after a picture of the room she was letting went viral on social media. Described as a 'beautiful single room' in the leafy area of Parsons Green in west London, the property is currently listed for a hefty £1,175 a month on letting site SpareRoom. Just a five minute walk away from the tube station and close to amenities, the room initially seems a steal in a crowded rental market. However, people were quick to point out that the new lodger would only be offered a single bed, despite needing to cough up more than a grand each month. In addition to having two housemates, one of these is a live-in landlord - which many renters associate with a loss of privacy, potential for conflict and difficult power dynamics. 'Deborah', the host who published the listing, is also charging a £1,000 deposit, although bills are included in the monthly rent. Sophie Fernley, who reposted the listing on social media, wrote: 'Deborah are you off your f***ing rocker hahahahahaha' She added: 'Guys if you see a nice normal room in London please send it MY WAYYYYYYYYYY as you can see I'm suffering.' Others were also shocked at just how dire the renting options in the capital have become. They said: '£1,175 just for that tiny place. What a JOKE!'; 'And yet, it'll be off the market next week'; 'I've seen doubles in zone 1 go for less'; 'Worst bit is that someone will snap it up'; 'Bills included? Better include a private pool & concierge service for that'; 'What's the chance that Deborah also thinks that if you stop eating avocados you'll be able to afford your own house and charge almost £1200 a month for one of the single rooms.' Potential flatmates will live with two other women and will ideally be 'professional ladies'. On SpareRoom, the listing reads: 'A quiet beautiful single room over looking a sweet garden. 'Clean, tidy, newly renovated, professional quiet house with garden in the heart of Parsons Green. Fabulous location, very close to the tube, park, bus, cafes, shops, restaurants. 'It is not a party house, but a beautiful tranquil luxurious haven for professional ladies - ideally. 'There is a piano in the drawing room and also a gorgeous beautifully kept garden to relax in.' The room has been 'boosted' - meaning it's been pushed to the top of search results for a 24-hour period. In January, a different London landlord was slammed for advertising a room for £1,350 a month - with an absurdly strict set of rules. The homeowner posted the listing on renting website Spare Room, with the hopes of finding someone to fill a bedroom in their home in Hampstead Heath, north London. The host was subject to a barrage of online criticism after demanding prospective tenants follow a number of strict rules, all while paying through the nose. The poster requested that hopeful tenants work 'longish hours in the city during the week', leave London during weekends and avoid having guests or using the living room. People were shocked at just how dire the renting options in the capital have become Spotting the listing while browsing for potential homes, one hopeful tenant took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to lament the 'selfish' advert - where it received dozens of comments from angry renters slamming the 'exploitative and selfish' offering. The listing proclaims to offer a 'lovely' flat with access to a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom - though the living room is strictly cited as 'not available for use'. Users slammed the strict house rules which also requested that prospective tenants have 'no guests, no use of the living space' and make 'no noise after 11pm'. Elsewhere, many have criticised the landlord's requests for how long prospective tenants are actually allowed in the residence. Social media user Sophia took to X, where she posted screenshots of the original listing alongside the caption: 'Anyone looking for a single bedroom with no heating where you can't make noise and can only be home from 8:30pm to 8am (weekdays only)? Here's one for a bargain (£1350)!!!' The listing reads: 'I work long hours from the living room so this area is not available for use. This space would ideally suit someone working longish hours in the city during the week and leaving the city for the weekends.' Tenants are also asked to not return home until after 8:30pm since this is when the host teaches 'audible' violin lessons. Meanwhile, the property itself does not have central heating and tenants must instead use an electric heater 'that can set via a timer on your phone.' Deborah's house listing describes it as a 'quiet beautiful single room overlooking a sweet garden' The post, which has now been viewed nearly a million times, includes a link to the listing - though this appears to have been altered since making it onto X. The original listing - as revealed by screenshots on X - stated that the landlord was looking for 'a lodger' to share their 'lovely flat' in the South End Green, Gospel Oak area. According to their profile on Spare Room, Alice is a Live in Landlord. Describing themselves, they wrote: 'I am a 38-year-old professional researcher and music teacher. 'I am also teaching the violin here in the evenings from 4-8:30pm Mon-Thurs, while this takes place on a different floor to the bedroom I am offering, it would be audible, so this room would suit someone who is not home until post 8:30pm.'
Bloomberg
18-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
FTSE 100 Live: Pound Rises as UK Inflation Stays Well Above BOE's Target
And in London, private monthly rents rose by an even-faster 7.7% in the 12 months to May, to an average of £2,249. Again, it's the slowest pace in more than two years, but means rents remain at historical highs. That could be deterring would-be tenants, Irina Anghel reports, as young people can't afford the deposit or rent needed to move to London. The number of would-be flat sharers searching on property search website SpareRoom has fallen to just half what it was at its peak in September 2022.
Business Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
London's sky-high prices thin the ranks of room-to-rent seekers
[LONDON] The number of people looking for a room to rent in London has continued to slide, data from a property search website show, in a sign that high rents are pushing even that modest goal out of reach for many residents. The cost of renting a room in the capital has held above £1,000 (S$1,726) a month since 2022, when property seekers idled by Covid-19 flooded back into the market as the economy reopened. But the number of would-be flat sharers has declined steadily since and last month hit 57,600, a drop of about 6,500 from a year before, according to figures shared by SpareRoom, a rental website. That's half as many as there were at the peak in September 2022 and marked the slowest May – one of the busiest months for house hunters – since 2021. The drop comes as the outlook is being darkened by rising bills, a deteriorating labour market and the US trade war, which is showing some signs of undermining confidence in the economy. Some of the decline in room-rental demand may be due to prospective homeowners resuming their searches as the Bank of England lowers interest rates. But the larger driver is likely the fact that many young people are opting for the cheaper option of living with their parents instead: An analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies showed that almost a third of UK residents aged 25 to 29 lived at home in 2024, up from just one in five in 2007. That may reflect the worsening job prospects for some young people as employers cut back on entry-level positions and recent tax hikes exert a drag on hiring in the hospitality sector. SpareRoom said that 40 per cent of those under 25 spend more than half of their income on rent, well above what's considered affordable. 'All those people in their 20s who would be driving up demand just aren't there,' said Matt Hutchinson, director at SpareRoom. 'Many young people can't afford to rent or save the required deposit on today's starting salaries so they have no choice but to stay put.' BLOOMBERG
CBS News
01-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Speed roommating helping Bay Area renters find the perfect match amid high costs
Move over, speed dating, speed roommating is taking center stage in the Bay Area housing scene. The in-person events, hosted by roommate-matching service SpareRoom, are helping renters like Priyanka Shatty connect with compatible housemates in an increasingly unaffordable market. "I've been here in the Bay Area for five years now, and I'm looking to move to the city," Shatty said at a recent gathering in the Mission District. "I thought it would be a great opportunity to find a roommate here. The rent is, like, obnoxious to live alone." She's not exaggerating. According to SpareRoom, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco is around $3,000 a month — a price tag that's prompting more residents to consider splitting costs. But rather than signing a lease with a stranger, speed roommating allows people to meet face-to-face in a social setting to find a safe, compatible match. "Priority should be your safety and mental sanity, right? That is very important," Shatty said. "And if that can be conducive with other people? Then yeah, why not?" Participants at the events jot down budgets, neighborhood preferences and hobbies, hoping to find someone who matches not just on logistics, but lifestyle. Rupert Hunt, founder and CEO of SpareRoom, said the gatherings can help people avoid the all-too-common roommate mismatch. "The trouble is, occasionally you maybe spend an hour or two going to a viewing, and then you might know within moments that you won't get along with the person," Hunt said. "So this is a more immediate version of SpareRoom, where you meet the people you're going to live with. And you know it's the people that are going to make or break the experience, not the size of the room or the power of the shower." In a city where the cost of living continues to soar, the events are being seen not just as a practical solution, but as a potential financial lifesaver. "If you could save a thousand dollars by splitting it with somebody and have a decent living situation — why not?" Shatty said. "It's a win-win, right?" Because in the Bay Area, finding the right roommate might just be the real happily-ever-after.
