Some new research by SpareRoom has revealed exactly what many London flatsharers are feeling during the festive season: annoyances around partying flatmates.
Sleep is that most scarce and treasured of things, and one that it seems can often be taken from you by noisy behaviour at home.
According to the research, four in five renters have their sleep disturbed by flatmates at least once a week, with one in seven being disturbed every single night.
On average, flatsharers are losing 218 hours and 24 minutes of sleep per person every year, with the most common culprits being flatmates slamming doors (38 per cent), noisily arriving home late (36 per cent), late night socialising (31 per cent) and flatmates having sex (24 per cent).
Audio sleeping aids are becoming increasingly common and over a quarter of the renters surveyed (27 per cent) said they used these to combat nighttime noise from flatmates.
But almost one third of flatmates (32 per cent) have had to take the drastic measure of moving out of a flat due to constant sleep disturbances.
Twice that number (64 per cent) have had arguments over the matter. And while four in five renters (80 per cent) have tried approaching their flatmates to resolve noise disruption at night, three in ten (30 per cent) of these conversations were met with denial or indifference, whilst a further 19 per cent received combative or angry responses.
To try to mitigate the situation, SpareRoom has amusingly drawn up The Pre-nap agreement — apparently the world’s first legally binding document to help ensure nighttime harmony in the home.
Matt Hutchinson, SpareRoom Director says, “Flatsharing can be a fantastic experience and is how many people meet friends for life, but living in close quarters with others — particularly strangers — can of course come with its trickier moments. We’ve created the Pre-nap agreement to help protect precious sleeping hours, and to encourage light-hearted dialogue around this common flatsharing issue, ensuring all parties are on the same wavelength when it comes to nighttime noise.”