11/06/2026
The biggest mistake people make when choosing a house share? Looking at the bedroom and forgetting everything else.
We've seen it time and time again.
Someone views a room, loves the décor, signs up... and then discovers that the real issue wasn't the room at all.
It was the management.
When you're renting a room in a shared house, the things that affect your day-to-day life are often the things you don't notice during a five-minute viewing.
👉How quickly are repairs dealt with?
👉Is the kitchen kept clean and maintained?
👉What happens when the washing machine breaks?
👉Do people actually respond when you report a problem?
👉Who are you sharing with?
A professionally managed house share can be a fantastic way to live in Norwich. It can be more affordable than renting alone, simplify your monthly bills and offer the flexibility many working professionals are looking for.
But not all house shares are created equal.
One piece of advice we regularly give prospective tenants is to look beyond the bedroom.
Open the kitchen cupboards.
Check the bathrooms.
Ask how maintenance issues are reported.
Find out who manages the property and how quickly they respond.
Take a look at the communal areas and get a feel for how the house is looked after.
The answers to those questions will often tell you far more about what living there will actually be like than the size of the wardrobe or the colour of the walls.
If you've lived in a house share before, what's the one thing you wish you'd checked before moving in?
Thinking about renting a room in Norwich? Read our full guide to professional house shares on the Roost Lettings blog.
We'd love to hear the good, the bad and the lessons learned 👇
