'Midweek renting' booming in big cities

31 2007
With commuting costs continuing to rise, growing numbers of professionals are opting to rent a room to live in Monday to Friday in London and then live in their own home at the weekends, it has been revealed.

Rather than being forced to live in an impersonal hotel, 'midweek renting' gives workers the opportunity to not only save money but to also have their own room to relax in and kitchen to cook in during the week.

According to some experts the booming market for midweek renting has come about as wages in places such as London and Manchester continue to rise, though people can only afford to buy a property well outside of the big city.

In addition, with jobs becoming less secure and working contracts shorter, people are looking to the benefits of renting and choosing not to commit themselves to buying a property simply because their job is in the same city.

One part-time London landlord Rachel Barber, told the Independent: "When it came to advertising for a lodger who wasn't a mate, I thought I might want the place to myself at weekends.

"And then I found out that you can charge 65-70 per cent of the full rental if you let a room four or five nights per week. So I could still make £550 a month while having noisy dinner parties and friends or family to stay on Saturday nights."
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