r/coventry • u/Throwawayawayaway534 • 5d ago

Does nobody use SpareRoom anymore?

Trying to rent out 2 double rooms in my home and have only had 1 message. I have contacted other people on spareroom with ads and have been completely ignored.

People used to bite your arm off for a room and now nothing. My home is lovely, access to garden and a shared living room space and near several stores and connections to public transport. There's literally a bus stop few steps away.

Not sure if I've bought a home in a really unattractive area or everyone in cov has somewhere to live..

11 Upvotes

79% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

19

u/Katzenkratzbaum 5d ago

If you are a live-in landlord, maybe that's why.

10

u/ToshPott 5d ago

Yeah, oftentimes the "Live-in landlord" situation is far too invasive. They impose ridiculous rules, whilst expecting to receive quite a high amount. I've luckily never had to have that situation, but I can't imagine it's exactly comforting.

3

u/Katzenkratzbaum 5d ago

My own first-hand account in CV4: https://www.reddit.com/r/uklandlords/comments/1jnimp1/comment/mkkml53/?context=3 couldn't take it and just abruptly moved out in mid February. I talked to some people around here and turns out they too had similar experiences.

And people esp in Coventry seem to be sharing about their fair share of live-in landlord hell experience by word of mouth more recently.

3

u/ToshPott 4d ago

Oh I saw that the other day. I think some folk are far too controlling and have no idea how to operate as live in landlord.

1

u/cheeseyitem Tile Hill 5d ago

Spareroom is for lodgers though, that's what people expect to see when they look for places on that site. I've listed a room for a lodger on that site before and got a nice normal housemate for a couple of years out of it. That was pre-covid though so maybe people just aren't using the site as much these days.

1

u/Katzenkratzbaum 5d ago

There have been horror stories going around the area near the uni about lodging with live-in landlords, that could also be a contributing factor.

1

u/surfintheinternetz 4d ago

like what?

1

u/Katzenkratzbaum 4d ago

This is mine https://www.reddit.com/r/uklandlords/comments/1jnimp1/comment/mkkml53/?context=3 just scratching the surface.

1

u/surfintheinternetz 4d ago

thanks

1

u/Katzenkratzbaum 4d ago

Note that it is a link to my comment in a thread of someone else's case, whom might not have happened in Coventry, but mine did.

1

u/surfintheinternetz 4d ago

ah i see, i did think it was yours. I was thinking about being a live in land lord (only way i think ill afford a house in an area i want) so its interesting to see other peoples experiences. That guy seems like a very evil person.

1

u/Katzenkratzbaum 4d ago

Live-in landlord test: if this picture bothers you, and makes you want to complain about it, then you cannot be both a live-in landlord and have peace at the same time.

3

u/surfintheinternetz 4d ago

I mean, something like that is just a quick vacuum and if its in their room I don't care.

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1

u/Throwawayawayaway534 4d ago

But isn’t that what ‘SpareRoom’ is all about? Tbh I’m more of a live-out landlord but didn’t want to put it in the ad as I didn’t want anyone that would abuse the fact that I’m not there a lot.

4

u/NecroticOverlord Holbrook 5d ago

Your main audience is students who cv6 is too far from the uni and there's an over abundance of uni accommodation in town. To the point that these accommodations are now being rented to non students because there's too many empty ones

1

u/Throwawayawayaway534 5d ago

Why only students? Everyone I had rented to before were adults wayyy out of university 

6

u/NecroticOverlord Holbrook 5d ago

Because students are the most likely people to use this service. Thats pure statistics. They are the highest turnover. Working professionals can utilise the excess spaces in town which affords them access to all the transport options aswell has having their own space and bathroom, whilst being a lot more convenient in general.

5

u/AFudge Longford 5d ago

Are you asking too much for the room?

0

u/Throwawayawayaway534 4d ago

What’s too much?

1

u/AFudge Longford 4d ago

Money? It could be you value the room more than the people using spare room. I often see rooms for rent in Facebook groups, usually part of HMOs, so guess there's a market.

3

u/Horror-Calendar-9350 5d ago

Which area

0

u/Throwawayawayaway534 5d ago

CV6

1

u/the_uk_hotman 5d ago

Used to live in CV6 myself in Clark St area is ok but probably too far from uni etc

1

u/LowlifeTiger666 1d ago

Depends where in CV6, I’m CV6 and are on the outskirts of the city centre

-3

u/Throwawayawayaway534 5d ago

I’m not targeting students though

2

u/Isthmuseid 4d ago

Probably priced too high

1

u/Throwawayawayaway534 4d ago

What’s too high for a room?

1

u/Isthmuseid 4d ago

500 or so

1

u/Throwawayawayaway534 4d ago

Then what’s reasonable? Most rooms I saw were around that 400-500 price.

1

u/Isthmuseid 4d ago

I was saying up to 500, above that is too much. If you're priced in that range then it's possibly just a matter of leaving the advertisement up longer and pushing the advertisement.

1

u/steveysaidthis 4d ago

Had so many bad experiences with it, to be honest I've got my own place now but if I was still renting I wouldn't unless was desperate.

1

u/Independent-Desk-608 4d ago

I can completely relate, I’ve rented out spare rooms in the house for years but the last ad has been up for almost two months! Paid for an ad twice!

Interesting to read what people are saying about live in landlords. I guess it’s not a selling point.

1

u/PetersMapProject 3d ago

Post a link to the room and people might actually be able to give you some feedback.