What is Homeshare?

What is Homeshare? Your Complete Guide.

Homeshare is shared living with connection, where householders with a spare room and lodgers gain financial, practical and social rewards. It is particularly relevant in an age where everyone is struggling with the cost of living, rents are at a record high, loneliness it at a peak, and yet there are roughly 26 million spare rooms across the UK. Here's everything you need to know about what homeshare can offer.

The simple definition

In modern homeshare a householder (host) rents out their spare room to a helpful lodger substantially below market rate. Both parties gain.

The host gets company plus help - between 3-8 hours/week as well as useful extra income. The lodger gets a comfortable, affordable room with rents capped at £650/month including bills, saving them thousands of pounds per year.

The help offered can be anything from dog walking to DIY, gardening, IT support, childcare or tutoring, or simply good company. It's up to the parties to decide.

hapipod is the UK’s only homeshare matching site directly connecting hosts and lodgers – making it easier, faster and cheaper to find the right match, whether the parties are of a similar age or a different generation.

Traditionally, homeshare agencies focus on elderly, vulnerable clients, vetting young lodgers who provide support and company to help them retain independence at home. For this they charge high fees and keep the rent.

By opening up practical helpful homeshare to everyone and letting hosts keep the rent, hapipod offers a win-win situation for all! Whether you're an artist needing someone to help hang your pictures, you want to find a contemporary who shares your love of the arts, or you need a piano tutor for your child, the scope for compatible, practical homeshare is infinite.

Why hapipod is different - in a nutshell

The only UK homeshare matching site introducing people of all ages and circumstances.

Householders gain income plus help. Lodgers find comfortable, affordable rooms.

People match based on detailed profiles including skills, personality type and interests.

Our members control who they match with and tailor their own homeshare agreements (for which we provide a customisable template).

We offer simple, affordable Membership Plans - no high registration or retainer fees.

How hapipod matching works

1. Ceate a verified profile

Hosts and lodgers complete an ID verified profile for FREE. This includes your living preferences, lifestyle and what you're looking for in a homeshare match. ID verification ensures people can have a level of confidence that everyone is who they say they are.

2. Browse and search

Use hapipod's search tool to filter profiles by personality, lifestyle, skills and interests. Read detailed profiles, see photos, shortlist and ‘like’ people you'd like to connect with.

3. Buy a Membership Plan and message securely

Purchase a Membership Plan to match and connect. Communicate through hapipod's secure messaging system, get to know each other, ask questions, do initial background checks and arrange a meeting before making any decisions.

4. Agree and move in

Once you've found a match, complete background checks and agree the terms of your homeshare arrangement. hapipod provides a template license agreement you can customise. Include the weekly hours of free help, rent payable and any house rules. Move in and start your shared living adventure!

Who is homeshare for?

Hosts — householders with a spare room

• Retirees and older householders who want company or practical help at home

• Single parents and families wanting help with childcare or tutoring

• Empty nesters wanting to fill the void and gain some practical help

• Householders who want both help and up to £7,500/yr tax-free rental income

• People who want to find a compatible ID verified match of a similar age or a different generation

Lodgers — people looking for an affordable room

• Students and mature students looking for comfort and affordability

• Young professionals or long term travellers priced out of city rentals

• Key workers needing affordable rooms near their place of work

• People going through life changes needing short term stability

• Anyone at any life stage needing to escape the soaring rental market

hapipod homeshare vs standard lodging or renting

Read more on Right to Rent Changes – Why Live-In Landlords are Thriving

Is homeshare safe?

Safety is the number one concern for both hosts and lodgers — and rightly so. hapipod takes it seriously at every step:

• Yoti ID verification — every member verifies their identity before messaging anyone.

• Secure messaging — all contact happens through hapipod's platform; no personal details shared until you're ready.

• Code of conduct — all members agree to hapipod's community standards before joining.

• Detailed Safeguarding Guidelines — our safeguarding page offers detailed recommendations on how to do thorough background checks.

Importantly, while all contactable members are ID verified, it is up to each member to undertake detailed background checks, agree fees and activities and ultimately get along. hapipod.com is an introduction platform only, it does not vet members or monitor homeshares once organised and cannot be responsible for their outcomes.

Read more on our safeguarding page.

What locations does hapipod homeshare cover?

hapipod is available across the UK and awareness is building steadily. Our search tool will help you find matches near you. Most members are currently in London, but we are expanding. If you sign up in a new area you can contact us at support@hapipod.com and we will aim to promote the site in your location on social media.

You don’t pay until you want to contact someone, and then it's just £9.99 for lodgers and £29.99 for hosts for a 6 month membership (prices and offers may vary - see pricing page for full details)! So you have nothing to lose!

If you have any more questions about how homeshare or hapipod works, simply visit our Frequently asked questions or drop us a line at support@hapipod.com and we can arrange a chat.

If you'd like to make your life easier, happier and more affordable, get started on crafting your own ideal homeshare or find a great homeshare opportunity in your area! Join up today at hapipod.com today!

See also Finding your perfect host and lodger match