WATCH: There’s never a perfect way to find the right roommate, but the Brits have hit on a pretty successful technique. Global National’s Jeff Semple has the story of the new trend.
LONDON, U.K. — Sarah Borbridge joined dozens of others at the Grand Union pub in central London on a rainy September evening, hoping to find a perfect match.
But, it’s not a romantic relationship the 27-year-old is looking for; instead, she’s looking for a flat to rent and a roommate to share it with.
“Back home I was living in a place for $600 (per month), which was two bedrooms, massive, with a sunroom and a huge living room,” said Borbridge, who moved to London from Winnipeg last week. “And now 600 (British) pounds is gonna get me, like, a closet.”
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These organized social gatherings, held every week at pubs across England, are called “Speed FlatMating.” It’s a twist on the speed-dating model, offering landlords a chance to find a perfect tenant and tenants a chance to meet the right roommate.
“Everyone is different,” said Baharak Zarbafian, who moved to London from Toronto last year. “It is almost like dating. You walk into an apartment and you meet the person and you’re like, ‘It’s not going to work out.’ It’s just a vibe.
“I think what’s useful about this is, whenever you’re looking to rent somewhere, you’ve always got to balance the place you’re renting with the people you’re living with,” added British renter Craig McCauley. “And, the great thing about tonight is people get to know who they’ll be living with.”
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Everyone who arrives at the pub gets a name tag, which includes their ideal rental budget and neighbourhood. White name tags are for landlords and pink tags are for tenants. And in the pub — like right across the U.K. — it’s a sea of pink. The landlords are significantly outnumbered.
“There is a chronic shortage of housing at the moment,” British real estate agent Daniel Killick told Global News.
Killick points to a lack of construction on new developments combined with soaring housing prices, which have locked many potential buyers out of the market. According to popular rental website Spare Room, there are 10 people chasing every one-room flat in the British capital. That’s a lot of strangers forced to share too few tiny spaces.
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As a result, at “Speed FlatMating” events, the landlords tend to be a popular date.
“The hardest thing is there’s so many more people looking for rooms than what is available,” said renter Amy Hammond. “Accommodation in London is so sought after, that basically you flock around the person that has a room.”
And the flock is only growing.
Organizers say 15,000 people have joined “Speed FlatMating” this year. Since launching in London a decade ago, they’ve recently spread the love to New York and they may even consider flirting next with Toronto and Vancouver.
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