Doctors and nurses are the most sought-after flatmates, poll finds

As renting becomes a long-term solution for many, demands for specific types of housemates rise

A third of young people want to live with a mix of characters like in the TV show 'Friends'

Young people consider doctors and nurses to be the most appealing potential flatmates, according to a recent poll.

Weroom, a social network for flatsharing, surveyed 1,000 18 to 24-year-olds to find almost a third want to rent a flat with someone who works in the medical profession, while those with DIY skills and artistic individuals making up the top three.

The key findings from the research highlighted how young Brits believe a successful home environment makes the most of all its members’ skills, with 15 per cent preferring to live with a mix of professions so they can divide up chores and responsibilities, as 31 per cent say they would like to live in the TV show Friends flatshare.

Top 10 most popular flatmate professions:

1. Medical professional
2. Plumber/electrician/carpenter
3. Artist/photographer/designer
4. Chef
5. IT/tech
6. Musician
7. Academic/researcher
8. Accountant
9. Fashion designer/stylist/buyer
10. Journalist/writer

When given the choice, 37 per cent of want to live with someone ‘hands on’ who could take on DIY work, while a further fifth hope to live with a chef.

Although respondents identified with teachers, with 27 per cent identifying with living with those in the legal professional to help manage rental contracts and dealings with landlords, both failed to make the top ten.

When looking at the most annoying housemate habits, over a quarter respondents said they argued with those they live with on a weekly basis, with personal habits - such as not washing, being messy, and not replacing communal items - causing the most frustration.

However, it was dish-washing that took the lead, with more than half stating that to be their biggest gripe, as almost a fifth bickered about housemates borrowing their belongings, taking up too much TV time (11 per cent), or arguing about unpaid rent and bills (24 per cent).

Top 10 most irritating housemate habits:

1. Not doing the washing up
2. Not following cleaning rota
3. Disagreeing over paying rent and bills
4. Coming in late and making noise
5. Using other housemates’ belongings
6. Playing loud music at night
7. Disagreeing over how much rent to pay
8. Hogging the TV
9. Using up hot water
10. Spending too long in the bathroom

Weroom’s CEO, Thomas Villeneuve, said it was interesting to see young renters’ idea of the perfect flatshare consists of such an eclectic mix of professionals, however, highlighted how it’s the personal behaviours and traits of each person that make up a household, and not what job they do.

He added: “If one member of the household had anti-social habits, their profession would not be relevant.

“As the cost of housing in the UK continues to spiral, we know that more and more people are turning to renting, particularly house and flat sharing, as a long-term housing solution.” Therefore, in order to meet this demand, he said sites like Weroom are working to match like-minded individuals together to create ideal homes.