Sharing a house or flat has always been something of a fluid affair – plans change, people move on – so much so that we have an entire team dedicated to managing the paperwork involved in amending tenancy agreements mid-contract. But 2020 took this to a whole new level, something that can be attributed at least in part to love in the time of lockdown.
As lockdown ended in July 2020, we saw a 75 per cent uplift in change of sharers. Our records show key areas of activity were Islington, Wandsworth, Hackney, Victoria Park and Fulham – all parts of London commonly associated with young professional renters.
Delving a little deeper, we estimate that a third of those changing their tenancies were doing so for relationship-related reasons. For some, love was found during lockdown on socially distanced Zoom dates and, in order to maintain a relationship, couples in the relatively early stages of romance chose to move in together to form one household. The label ‘turbo relationship’ was coined during this period, and since renting requires less commitment than buying, this was the natural step for many of these turbo couples.
Others decided to turn the temporary move to live with their long-term partner during lockdown into a permanent arrangement. And we saw instances of couples, who wished that they’d moved in together sooner, leaving their existing house shares which, in turn, created room for those solo renters who felt lonely during the pandemic to join a house share of friends.
It would be wrong to talk about love gained in 2020 without talking about love lost. The year also saw a spike of break ups, with plenty of couples choosing to go their separate ways after being together 24/7.
At the start of 2021 there was a 60 per cent increase in change of sharers and more generally we are seeing evidence that people are using the current lockdown to plan a move, with a 23 per cent increase in new tenant demand in London and regional cities compared to January 2020 and a 38 per cent rise in the country markets.
Whether spurred on by love or more prosaic lifestyle choices, people are once again preparing for a post-lockdown shuffle.
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