How we live together: the long-term flatmates
Elli Richards, 31
Other than a short stint when I was living in Madrid, Alex and I have shared since we met at Leeds University in 2006. I don’t think either of us expected to be living in a flatshare for this long. It’s partly down to failed relationships, but also to the fact that neither of us has prioritised saving for a house deposit.
We’ve lived together long enough to just pick up where the other isn’t so great – for instance, Alex is terrible with admin, so I sort all our bills; she does the practical things like buying cleaning supplies or fixing the TV stand. We’ve found that one of the tricks to assuring domestic bliss is a cleaner who comes once a week. Our longest tenancy was over five years, but we recently moved into a new flat – this is the first place that really feels like a home.
Alexandra Jones, 30
We both assumed we’d be living alone by now, but instead of saving we spend all our money on wine subscriptions, Amazon, house plants, expensive gyms, vegan takeaways. London rent is wildly expensive and house prices make you sick; saving is difficult and feels pointless. So here we are, bumbling along together.
How we live together: the mother and donor child
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Our relationship is the most long-standing and significant in my life. Living with Elli has taught me a lot about space and boundaries; namely that Elli needs more of the former than me. So I’ve learned to knock before entering and not to talk during Line Of Duty. Still, when I’m having a bad day she doesn’t mind if I lie on her bed like a fat, needy labrador. We’re both starting to think that flatsharing is not a stopgap it’s just life.
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