Three people in a 2 bed flat/house

Former Member

So, my friends and I are looking to move out into a flat together, there are three girls and as students we obviously don't have much money.

We're all very clean and tidy people, organised and pay all our bills on time. Some would call us :angel: :angel: :angel:

But in order to save some money we were wondering if we rented a two bed flat with a living room and converted the living room into a bedroom...would a landlord go for that? I mean it's no different really than having a couple live in one of the rooms really?

What's everybody else's experience in this.

It's that or live in a reall crappy flat with rodents and stuff.

JsT

I don't think a landlord would go for it.

Former Member

Very unlikely a landlord would go for that. Alot of places do tenancies by bedrooms. One person per bedroom.

Former Member

You could ask him, but unlikely as he would have to convert the lounge to a bedroom for you. We tried many a time in second year as we were 7 girls and could only find 6. Even if he did accept he would still expect all three of you to pay rent! They're money grabbing bastards sorry!

Former Member

Really? I've seen a few places advertised on gumtree like that. I don't understand though because obviously our rent includes the use of that room as such....so by putting someone in there, obviously we're still paying for use of the room except that we all don't get to use it if you know what I mean? If it's advertised as say £1,300 pcm surely the fact they advertise that and ask for that...when they get that they'd be happy. I mean we wouldn't expect them to refurbish the room to be a bedroom...more just allow us to put a futon in or whatever?

Former Member

if that's what you want to do and you'll all share the rent, I don't see why you couln't just get two peoplke to sign ther tenancy agreement, not even mention the thirtd person and just do it anyway. I would, fuck the landlord and get yourself somewhere affordable to live, how the hell are they gonna find out?

Former Member

Ah but you can get done for breach of contract for doing that. I mean having said that...I'd imagine that we'll have to go with a letting place that accepts students (so many don't) and I'd imagine they'd get landlords in that would agree with stuff like this.

Besides, if the landlord says that he wants to do a spot check, you have 48 hours to make the room look like a living room again....which could be stressful

Former Member

It's worth asking, but don't get your hopes up.

You'd have to find somewhere that was let to the three of you as one entity rather than the usual student one which is where it's done individually.

Former Member

Wouldn't it be a bit shit as the living room usually adjoins the kitchen or front door or bathroom. So the person whose bedroom it is won't get much peace and will constantly have people tramping through.

Where are you renting?

Former Member

I did this for the last 2 years. It became a nightmare after 1 flatmate got a girlfriend who pretty much lived there permanently, so 4 people and 1 bathroom, nightmare! But yeah turning a living room into a bedroom is a sensible option, a living room isn't that essential if you're not going to spend that much time in the place (ie you're out at uni / work / out a lot). I don't see why a landlord would have any problem with it, you just need to stick a bed in the living room, doesn't require some major upheaval??

Former Member

katchika wrote: »

Wouldn't it be a bit shit as the living room usually adjoins the kitchen or front door or bathroom. So the person whose bedroom it is won't get much peace and will constantly have people tramping through.

Where are you renting?

I agree, in my old house we had three floors. The middle floor was lounge/kitchen/bedroom for one poor girl who drew the short straw. She was constantly disturbed my people in the kitchen and lounge so it would be the same for the poor sod who got the lounge.
I think you need a lounge as well as a chilling out spot, unless you got a really big kitchen or something.

Former Member

Having done both set ups I would say you'd get away with it, but honestly, it's a really shit set up.

Having no living room means there's no where for you to chill out, get away from your room, eat, watch tv comfortably, invite friends over to. Making the hall can work, but unless it's a large hall it's practically useless.

The savings that you would make kind of make it worth the hassle, but I thought it was a total inconvenience tbh.

Former Member

If the rent is pre-room, then it's probably against the contract. If it's per-house, I believe it's OK. Nothing wrong with having mates stopping over and using the sofa bed in the lounge is there?

littlemissy

I lived in a flat where the living room was a bedroom. It was actually a 2 bed flat and there were 4 of us. The landlords had already converted it. We had a living room as there was a dining room. The dining room was a large room that had the kitchen off it. The living room didn't.

However, as others have said, ask. There's no harm in asking the landlords. We didn't need to faff about with all that as the flat was already converted.

Former Member

TheKingOfGlasgow wrote: »

Having done both set ups I would say you'd get away with it, but honestly, it's a really shit set up.

Having no living room means there's no where for you to chill out, get away from your room, eat, watch tv comfortably, invite friends over to. Making the hall can work, but unless it's a large hall it's practically useless.

The savings that you would make kind of make it worth the hassle, but I thought it was a total inconvenience tbh.

We had an OK-sized kitchen we used for all of that whenever people came round. A big living room an absolute waste of space if you're not going to be in your house much - eg out at uni, socialising much, no need for a room which is going to be empty most of the time, given how much you could save.

Former Member

Thanks for all the great advice guys. We're hoping to rent in central South-East London. I currently live in Elephant & Castle in a crappy council estate. We have mice, damp on my windows, I can't stand my flatmates anymore (I have recently discovered I am the only person in the house that believes in Evolution and this is causing tensions with one of my flatmates who thinks I'm some sort of heathen), I could get a better room for the amount I'm paying etc etc etc.

We'd be planning to get a house under contract etc with a guarantor and one of specifications we've got so far is that it has to have a large kitchen that has some sort of table and dining chairs set in or suchlike.

I have a living room at my current flat and as nice as it is to sit down and chill out in, it's one more room to clean and that's never a good thing in my books.

The girls I'm moving in with I've spent a good amount of time with, one practically lives at my flat anyway and I already know all her annoying habits (as she does mine), one I've been on holiday with and we managed not to kill each other and the last is an old friend who used to practically live around my house when I was younger so again with the non-killingness. We're all close enough to know what pisses each other off and when to give us space etc. We're all also single and tbh if one of us got a bf I'm a pretty easy going kinda girl and don't have too much bathroom time so I should be ok.

Ultimatley I'm the less starry eyed out of the lot of us, I'm the only one that's lived away from home for 3 years without my parents to lean on so I am pretty sure I can manage with whatever they can throw at me flatmate wise (trust me, nothing will ever beat the creepy guy that made a copy of my bedroom key and would watch my sleep) so I think the living arrangements will be fine that way.


I also sleep like the dead and would say I'm the most sociable thus I'll probably end up nominating myself for the living room. I'm planning on getting a double futon bed that turns into a sofa so if we do want to chill out we've got some space.

Anyway...as long as we can get a nice flat with a landlord that would let us it should be ok.