A Homemate is our term for anyone either starting out and wanting to live independently from family, or anyone of any age needing to change their living circumstances, in either case, requiring affordable accommodation, and happy to offer practical help or company in exchange for reduced rent.

A Homemate offers up to 10hrs per week of their time to pre-agreed activities or company in exchange for a low-cost room at a mutually agreed price somewhere between £250-£350/month, to cover the Host's increase in expenses.

No. There’s no upper or lower age limit, so long as you don’t have a health condition that would impact on the enjoyment of the living experience by a Homemate, and that you don’t require caregiving. Hosts may be families or people living alone. It is up to individuals to determine whether the age of a potential Host or Homemate works for them given all the elements of compatibility. We do recommend that if you live alone and want to homeshare you have either a family member or a friend who can help you in the unlikely event that a particular arrangement doesn’t work out and a contract needs to be terminated.

Only that Homemates must be over 18. Homemates may be students, graduates, key workers or young professionals on restricted incomes, or anyone of any age who finds themselves in changing circumstances such as ending relationships or in financial difficulties and needing stop-gap homes. There is no upper age limit. It is up to our subscribers to determine whether the age of a potential Host or Homemate works for them given all the other elements of compatibility.

Absolutely! You can be confident that any members you contact have passed our robust ID verification and Background check, but you should also check they have a crime-free past by asking to see a copy of their DBS certificate (or equivalent foreign national criminal record check). You can search for users with a DBS certificate, or you can ask someone if they’ll get one. We also advise you to get 3 references and check them. See safeguarding for full recomendations.

We do recommend that if you live alone you use this service only if you have a family member or a friend who can help you in the unlikely event that a particular arrangement doesn’t work out and a contract needs to be terminated. Having a contact to turn to is a basic safeguarding measure.

Sure. Lots of people in differing circumstances need all types of help at home – from families wanting help with child-sitting to artists wanting help in their studio, or people just wanting a little more company or a pet sitter while they travel. It’s also for anyone with a spare room who’d like to help someone in need of affordable accommodation

This would be up to the Host and depend on the size of the room. But they would be right to expect higher compensation for that if they agreed, and that is up to the parties to negotiate.

Sharing your living room is not a given and must be pre-agreed. If you have a large spare room this may be adequate for someone and you can maintain your living room as private. However, if your spare room is small and it is unreasonable to expect someone to live in that space only (aside from using your kitchen and bathroom) then you may find Homemates less willing to live with you without agreeing to share your living room space.

No. There is no obligation to stay in during the evenings unless you have pre-agreed in your contract to cook or share a meal or attend an event on a specific or regular basis.

Only if it is pre-agreed with your Host on any given occasion. If they are happy about it then it’s not a problem, if not, you would be in breach of your contract.

You will be offered the chance to check their profile and decide whether to subscribe and reply to them.

The contract is designed to make it easier for you tailor the specific activities or company elements that you agree with your homesharer. All figures are suggested but not set in stone. However, if a Host tries to charge more than the suggested £350/mth maximum expense contribution, we ask that you report it to us at support@hapipod.com , as this is a site focused on maximising quality of life and saving rather than making money. We would always recommend you seek your own legal advice on any contract.

Hapipod recommends contracts are no less than 6 months from a convenience perspective, and no longer than 1 year from a safeguarding perspective, but it is up to the parties to agree the details.

Monies must be transferred directly between Hosts and Homemates. This includes the deposit and upfront monthly payments. This is the responsibility of the parties, and Hapipod has no management involvement in this beyond the introduction. If a Homemate doesn’t pay at any stage, it constitutes a breach of contract and can lead to its immediate termination.

Hapipod charges a one-off £20 joining fee to pass the ID verification and background check which allows full access to the advanced search capability and profile descriptions. There is then only a subscription fee to connect with others. These range from £45 for 1 month, decreasing substantially for longer durations. They are not rolling so you needn’t worry about terminating them. Since Hapipod does not control the matches, manage or monitor individual contracts or handle of monies between parties, we do not charge any commission or ongoing management fees, unlike regular rental or homeshare agencies.