Homes without lounges now a reality for renters

Homes without lounges are becoming a reality for renters on tight budgets faced with a lack of available lets.

Nearly a third of homes advertised on flat-sharing website SpareRoom in the first half of the year had no living room.

Ella Murray, aged 22, who shares with three other people in London, said: "At this stage in my life I'm not willing to sacrifice money for more space."

Landlords say turning a lounge into a bedroom helps them cover their higher mortgages and other extra costs, while meeting demand from tenants.

But a lack of communal space means many renters are living and working in one bedroom putting them at risk of social isolation.

Some also point out the "false economy" of being forced to go out to socialise which can cost more than a night in with friends.

Ella and her three housemates split the rent of £3,000 a month according to the size of their bedrooms, but their home does not have a living room.

"We have a decent-sized kitchen with a dining table which is where we hang out instead. We would definitely socialise more if we had a living room," she said.

She said the rent was cheaper as a result, and - living in London - it was the norm among her friends in other rental properties in the city.

She works in musical theatre, and said she would be more inclined to rent somewhere with a living room were her wage to increase and were she to move in with a partner.

Hannah Carney, 26, also shares a property without a lounge and says none of the places she had rented since she was 18 had a living room.

She says she misses having a "chill place that is social" and it means she and her flatmates probably spend more on going out for dinner and drinks.

"I'd love to say that all properties should have a communal area. I wish that was the norm, but I know it's not realistic," she said.

The best she and her flatmate could do, she says, is to have movie nights in a box room that they also use to hang their washing.

Matt Hutchinson, director of SpareRoom said: "We've had so many messages from people who met their best friends and partners in flatshares, who've raised families or started businesses together.

"Those kinds of stories will become rarer if communal, sociable spaces within homes are not protected. Sadly, loneliness is alarmingly common.

"With rents as unaffordable as they are now, it's understandable people are looking for ways to cut the cost of living."