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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Suzanne Bearne

Room to rent? UK housesharing on the rise due to energy bills and living costs

British Gas energy bill with coins and money
The hike in energy bills has driven some people to take in lodgers to help balance the household budget. Photograph: Andrew Paterson/Alamy

When they finally moved in to their first home together last summer after four years of housesharing, Rosie Macdonald and her partner didn’t expect they’d be returning to living with another person so soon. But with rising living costs and concerns over energy prices, in April the couple organised for a housemate to move into their home in Leeds.

“We were struggling to keep our heads above water before the increase in inflation,” says Macdonald, 27, a senior digital PR strategist at Love Energy Savings, a business utilities and price comparison retailer. “While we’re good with our finances, I worked out what the increases might be with each cap – my job means I have my ear to the ground in that sense – and calculated how much extra we might need.”

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