A new report has shone a spotlight on the UK HMO sector.
COHO’s State of Shared Living 2025 report uses the largest tenant-led dataset of its kind, and offers what its authors describe as a unique lens into the needs, expectations, and lived experiences of those in shared accommodation.
They claim the findings set a new benchmark for landlords, investors, and policymakers committed to shaping a more responsive and sustainable future for co-living in the UK.
Key insights include:
• Modern tenants want to know who they’ll live with: 66% of tenants said that knowing what their future housemates are like before moving in is important.
• 47% of tenants will pay 10% more in rent for guaranteed housemate compatibility. Based on annual shared living rent of £6.3bn, that’s an additional £630m in monthly rent that’s being missed..
• Fewer than one-in-ten tenants feel that safety is ever a concern in shared housing, while only 9% consider housemate noise a deterrent.
• High speed internet is considered more important than an en-suite bathroom.
• 78% said they preferred sharing with fewer than five housemates.
• More than 1 in 10 people in shared homes are aged 40 or over. In cities like Southampton, that number is even higher.
• 85% of tenants said a bad property manager could make them want to leave sooner, while 87% could be driven out by slow maintenance fixes. And the best opportunity to improve shared living comes with higher cleanliness standards, with 57% citing it as a leading concern for why they’d avoid a house share.
• 39% of those currently living in a shared house have no plans to move out
Vann Vogstad, founder of COHO, says: “I truly believe shared living is one of the best solutions we have to the housing crisis. Not only is it affordable, but in a time where loneliness and the breakdown of community are on the rise, shared living offers something powerful: connection. It’s a modern way to live with like-minded people, where community, wellbeing, and fulfilment come together.
“But HMOs and shared houses still face a challenge in the form of public and council perception. As more local authorities turn to landlords to provide Crisis HMO housing for refugees and the homeless, there’s a real risk of further stigmatising shared living. That’s what showcasing the kind of thoughtful, well-designed properties we’ve seen come through the HMO Summit awards submission has been really inspiring and utterly vital.”
The full report can be downloaded for free here.
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