Restrictions on house sharing by unrelated roommates • Hacker News Board

Re: Restrictions on house sharing by unrelated roommates

#21

Post by rwmj » Tue, Sep 23, 2025, 2:21 PM UTC

cjs_ac wrote: post #5

In the UK, these are called Houses in Multiple Occupation. They are regulated, licensed and inspected to ensure that they're not dangerous. https://www.gov.uk/renting-out-a-property/houses-in-multiple...

The other responses to this post are very strange. Here in the UK I too lived in HMOs for many years while I was a student at university and later when I started working. It is simply a normal way of living if you're in your twenties. At no point did I live in a house that was a fire risk / 5 to a room / had anyone who had "checked out". It also let me live cheaply and save a lot of money, and I met many life-long friends.

Re: Restrictions on house sharing by unrelated roommates

#22

Post by red_rech » Tue, Sep 23, 2025, 2:21 PM UTC

Workaccount2 wrote: post #10

While these are great on paper, I think the part that needs solving is how to stop them from becoming dens of people who have checked out (voluntarily or not) of life/society. Getting a place to live in for $350/mo would be absolutely game changing for low income (and even middle income) people trying to build wealth. The downside though is that these places will invariably turn into social crack houses, rather than…

> The downside though is that these places will invariably turn into social crack houses, rather than the sunny smilely communal life ideals they are sold as.

Ok, get rid of them, now the streets are social crack houses? What are we to do now? Perhaps the woodchipper?

Re: Restrictions on house sharing by unrelated roommates

#23

Post by matt-p » Tue, Sep 23, 2025, 2:21 PM UTC

cjs_ac wrote: post #5

In the UK, these are called Houses in Multiple Occupation. They are regulated, licensed and inspected to ensure that they're not dangerous. https://www.gov.uk/renting-out-a-property/houses-in-multiple...

Well, TIL that 3-4 sharing is a HMO, but doesn't require a licence. That makes no sense..

Re: Restrictions on house sharing by unrelated roommates

#24

Post by lesuorac » Tue, Sep 23, 2025, 2:21 PM UTC

Workaccount2 wrote: post #10

While these are great on paper, I think the part that needs solving is how to stop them from becoming dens of people who have checked out (voluntarily or not) of life/society. Getting a place to live in for $350/mo would be absolutely game changing for low income (and even middle income) people trying to build wealth. The downside though is that these places will invariably turn into social crack houses, rather than…

Is it any better that somebody checks out within a SRO than a tent?

I have to imagine that at 10% of the rental market there had to be tons of drugs being done within SROs. But also that a lot of drugs were being done in the other 90% of the rental market ...

Re: Restrictions on house sharing by unrelated roommates

#25

Post by strgrd » Tue, Sep 23, 2025, 2:21 PM UTC

Workaccount2 wrote: post #10

While these are great on paper, I think the part that needs solving is how to stop them from becoming dens of people who have checked out (voluntarily or not) of life/society. Getting a place to live in for $350/mo would be absolutely game changing for low income (and even middle income) people trying to build wealth. The downside though is that these places will invariably turn into social crack houses, rather than…

"Cheap rent sounds good on paper... but why would you work?"

Re: Restrictions on house sharing by unrelated roommates

#26

Post by 762236 » Tue, Sep 23, 2025, 2:22 PM UTC

The advent of contraception also changed the game. Now people would expect to have sleep overs, sharing limited resources such as the bathroom, where that was less of an issue in the past.

Re: Restrictions on house sharing by unrelated roommates

#27

Post by scandox » Tue, Sep 23, 2025, 2:22 PM UTC

Workaccount2 wrote: post #10

While these are great on paper, I think the part that needs solving is how to stop them from becoming dens of people who have checked out (voluntarily or not) of life/society. Getting a place to live in for $350/mo would be absolutely game changing for low income (and even middle income) people trying to build wealth. The downside though is that these places will invariably turn into social crack houses, rather than…

I mean that just sounds like bollocks to me. I house shared for years and it was just perfect. If I was going to become a crack addict just because I got cheap accommodation I mean what chance have I got?

Re: Restrictions on house sharing by unrelated roommates

#28

Post by slt2021 » Tue, Sep 23, 2025, 2:22 PM UTC

rjdj377dhabsn wrote: post #18

Workaccount2 wrote: post #10

While these are great on paper, I think the part that needs solving is how to stop them from becoming dens of people who have checked out (voluntarily or not) of life/society. Getting a place to live in for $350/mo would be absolutely game changing for low income (and even middle income) people trying to build wealth. The downside though is that these places will invariably turn into social crack houses, rather than…

Do we really want the government to dictate how people live their lives? If someone wants to waste his life away, sitting around doing drugs, that should be up to him.

[dead]

Re: Restrictions on house sharing by unrelated roommates

#29

Post by 762236 » Tue, Sep 23, 2025, 2:23 PM UTC

Workaccount2 wrote: post #10

While these are great on paper, I think the part that needs solving is how to stop them from becoming dens of people who have checked out (voluntarily or not) of life/society. Getting a place to live in for $350/mo would be absolutely game changing for low income (and even middle income) people trying to build wealth. The downside though is that these places will invariably turn into social crack houses, rather than…

The Bay Area has lots of these places, running under the radar, which are not turning into anything bad, as they are occupied by young people working at startups.

Re: Restrictions on house sharing by unrelated roommates

#30

Post by mig4ng » Tue, Sep 23, 2025, 2:24 PM UTC

Workaccount2 wrote: post #10

While these are great on paper, I think the part that needs solving is how to stop them from becoming dens of people who have checked out (voluntarily or not) of life/society. Getting a place to live in for $350/mo would be absolutely game changing for low income (and even middle income) people trying to build wealth. The downside though is that these places will invariably turn into social crack houses, rather than…

I have been sharing house with a roommate for years now (in Portugal), and I prefer it to living alone. Even with a girlfriend, I highly prefer to live in a house with more people.

I come from a "big" family, and I am used to movement where I live. And living alone or just with one person, makes my energy go down.

Now that I plan on moving to Paraguay, I am looking for co-living options or someone to rent place with. Different people have different preferred ways of living.

For me, it's cheaper, and I am happier, when I share place with other people. Also, you get to learn from others, have people to talk with, at the expense of a bit of privacy. But depending on the roommates you choose the privacy thing is usually not an issue.