Deciding the type of accommodation for your university life is not an easy task and even more so, when you can choose from so much variety: residences, flats, homestay, etc.

If the idea of sharing an apartment with other students is on your mind, but you still have doubts If it will be the best for you, in this post we are going to give you four important reasons why having roommates is a good decision.

1. Sharing expenses

When we live with our parents, in most cases we do not know exactly how much it costs to maintain the house, there are expenses such as rent or mortgage, electricity, water, food ... and a long etcetera we are not aware of.

In addition, the idea of becoming independent during our university life becomes more attractive as we think about it. Being in a flat at your "ease" without anyone telling you what to do, for instance, having parties with friends, having no schedules... it is a motivating reason to look for a flat alone.

However, when we start looking and find out how much rents cost and the involved expenses, our house of cards starts to crumble. Fortunately, there is a solution for everything. And to this problem, the solution is sharing an apartment with several colleagues. This reduces our monthly expenses considerably since everything is distributed among all.

You may think that “when there are two or three roommates, more electricity and water are used." And yes, it is true, but as you do not individually spend double or triple, sharing expenses will mean a considerable saving. In addition, part of the bills are fixed expenses and regardless of what you consume, you have to pay it.
So in summary, stay with this idea: sharing expenses means saving. And for that little extra money, surely you can think of a better plan than paying a bill.

2. Access bigger and better located flats

Another aspect that we must take into account when deciding on our new accommodation will be its location.

What location will we look for? The answer is very easy: the best one for us, which will normally be in the neighbourhoods close to the university, but centrally located, to be able to buy, go out, etc. And as we all know, good quality and well-located apartments are synonymous with expensive rents. We can find studios or lofts for one person. The rent is relatively cheaper, but it is still expensive for the meters it offers and we will not have enough space to be with friends when we feel like it.

By sharing an apartment with other students we can access those larger and better-located flats since in this case, we will share the expense among all.
Here you should know that there are two types of rental contracts: joint and several liability.

We recommend that you opt for several liability rental contracts. Where each of the roommates will sign an individual contract with the owner and, if one of the tenants does not pay his rent, the landlord cannot claim it from the rest.

In the joint contract, the opposite occurs. The homeowner signs a single contract with all occupants and holds them responsible for the entire rent and expenses. In this case, one of the roommates does not pay or leaves, the rest of the roommates must take care of their expenses.

As we said, sharing a flat allows you to access larger homes located in the neighbourhoods of interest and for a significantly lower price than if you did it individually. In this way, we can say that sharing a flat is synonymous with renting good value/money places.

3. Meeting new people

If university life is characterized by something, it is that during this time the strongest and most lasting friendships of our life are forged.

However, this idea takes a lot of effort. And, on many occasions when changing cities and even countries, we have to start from scratch to meet people and make new friends. At this time, a shared apartment with other students will be our great ally.

Some people are very good at joining new groups, and others are not so good. Regardless of how outgoing you are, by sharing a flat with other students, without even realizing it you will be meeting many new people, you will expand your social circle and you will make great friends with whom you will share unforgettable moments.

In addition, your roommates will likely end up becoming great friends and you can make million plans together. So a great reason to share a flat is to make new friends and have a great time.

4. Learning to live together

At this point you may be wondering, is coexistence seriously a compelling reason to share an apartment? And the answer is yes, without a doubt.

Renting an apartment is supposed to be to have more freedom, and yet it is important to talk about coexistence. Living with roommates other than yourself is an art that you must learn. And the sooner you start the more beneficial it will be for you.

Learning to defend your ideas, to give in so that they also give in for you, organize and distribute household chores, empathize, respect spaces… are some of the innumerable personal benefits of sharing a flat with other students. If you re-read this paragraph and look at a job description that you would like to have in the future, you will surely find more than one word in common.

Sharing a flat will teach you to live with other people, it will give you a different perspective and will open your mind. We all do not do things in the same way, nor do we think alike and, not for that reason, ones’ thinking is wrong.

Training all these skills in a close environment, with your roommates will make it easy for you to adapt to the new changes that will take place throughout your life. In short, sharing a flat will teach you to live together and will make you mature.

When looking for a shared flat, we recommend that you always look for verified accommodation. It will be easier to find roommates with similar interests to yours and, by being verified, you will avoid fraud and last-minute surprises when you arrive at your new home.

In Erasmus Play you can find complete flats or apartments for rent, in most European cities.