The London flatshare reality young South Africans aren’t prepared for

Twenty years ago, landing in London as a young South African expat meant navigating dodgy flatshares with questionable housemates, sky-high rents, and the shock of how much council tax actually costs. But at least those cramped flats had living rooms.

Today’s young expats arriving in the UK capital are discovering an even harsher reality: many London flatshares don’t even have a lounge anymore.

When lounges became bedrooms

According to new data from SpareRoom, nearly a third of flatshare properties advertised in the first half of 2024 had no living room. In London, that figure jumps to 41%.

For South African twentysomethings already reeling from deposit demands (often six weeks’ rent upfront), sky-high monthly rents averaging over £1 300 (R30 000), utilities bills that make Eskom’s tariffs look reasonable, and UK tax rates that bite harder than anything back home, the missing living room adds insult to injury.

Ella Murray, 22, shares a London flat with three others for £3 000 (R69 000) a month. No living room, just a kitchen with a dining table. “At this stage in my life I’m not willing to sacrifice money for more space,” she told the BBC.

The false economy

But here’s the catch: without a communal space, flatmates end up spending more going out for drinks and dinner rather than having mates over for a braai substitute in the kitchen or movie nights on the couch.

Hannah Carney, 26, makes do with “movie nights in a box room” where the washing also hangs. She admits missing a “chill place that is social” and suspects she spends more money socialising outside the flat as a result.

A different kind of London experience

Twenty years ago, London flatshares were a rite of passage for South African expats. My first Wimbledon flatshare might have been questionable, but at least there was a tatty sofa in a communal lounge where friendships formed and homesickness was shared over cheap wine.

Sure, you might share with seven strangers, eat meals in shifts, and navigate whose turn it was to buy loo roll, but the communal space made it bearable.

Today’s expats are working, sleeping, and essentially living in a single bedroom, risking social isolation in a city where loneliness is already alarmingly common.

Landlords say converting lounges helps cover higher mortgage costs whilst meeting tenant demand. With 10 prospective tenants chasing every rental property, they can afford to be choosy about how they use their space.

For young South Africans dreaming of their London adventure, perhaps add “living room” to your flatshare checklist, right alongside “deposit you’ll probably never see again” and “housemates who might actually become mates.”