Shared and subletting
Sharing a home with other people can be great fun, but it’s important to choose carefully who you live with, and to check that you understand your rights.
Your rights will also be affected by the type of tenancy you have. See the sections on council tenancies, housing association tenancies and private tenancies for more information.
Choosing who to live with
Do you want to live on your own, in a house or flat-share, with your girlfriend or boyfriend, or with a friend? Weigh up the pros and cons before you decide
Whose name the agreement is in
Thinking of moving in with someone? You’ll need to decide whether to have separate tenancies, a joint tenancy, or a tenancy in only one person’s name
Things to agree in advance
Whoever you decide to live with, it helps if everyone agrees on some ground rules before moving in together. If everything’s clear from the start, it could save major rows later on
Lodgers
A lodger is someone who rents a room in her/his landlord’s home and who shares living space with her/him
Subtenants
Subtenants rent from an intermediary tenant rather than the owner of the property
Problems with housemates
Problems with housemates can be hard to resolve. What you can do usually depends on what the problem is and whose name the agreement is in
Houses in multiple occupation
Some houses or flats that are occupied by more than one household are classed as houses in multiple occupation (or HMO)
We are sorry that we cannot provide this information in Welsh, however if you would like to speak to an adviser in Welsh please contact 0345 075 5005.
This page was last updated on: May 29, 2017
Shelter Cymru acknowledges the support of Shelter in allowing us to adapt their content. The information contained on this site is updated and maintained by Shelter Cymru and only gives general guidance on the law in Wales. It should not be regarded or relied upon as a complete or authoritative statement of the law.
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