SAN DIEGO (KUSI) Since last year, rent rates increased by 4.1% in San Diego County and nearly 10% in the city of San Diego, according to a survey conducted by the Southern California Rental Housing Association.
That’s why Rupert Hunt, the founder and CEO of Spare Room, held the first roommate speed dating event in the city to help renters find their perfect match.
When you’re considering who you want to cook dinner with every night or who you want to wake up to in the morning, there’s a lot to consider before you commit to living with someone, but searching for a roommate isn’t an easy feat.
“A lot of things have fallen through that I’ve pursued, so I’m just trying all different options,” Celena Barone said when asked why she decided to attend the ‘speed roommating’ event.
More than 100 people signed up to attend the mixer, and Hunt says people are eager for the in-person human connections.
“You could live in the best apartment in the city with people you don’t get along that well with and dread going home or you could live in an average place with great people and have the best year of your life,” Hunt said.
It’s becoming more common for San Diegans to live with multiple people as they manage the rising cost of living across the county, and finding someone with similar a lifestyle could make the difference in keeping expenses low.
“Maybe you’re a coffee addict or a night owl,” Hunt said, showing us stickers that help attendees start conversations about their lifestyle preferences.
Hunt says he’s seen the demand for shared spaces increase from overseas in the United Kingdom to big cities in the United States.
“We don’t have a housing shortage,” real estate expert Ken Kaplan said. “We have an affordability shortage.”
Locally, nearly 134,537 renters countywide don’t have access to an affordable home.
“Somebody says you know what I want to get a place. I want to be in this neighborhood. I want to be close to work. I don’t want to have to move to Riverside County and then commute, so what we’re seeing is we’re seeing a lot of people getting roommates,” Kaplan said.
Renters in San Diego need to earn more than $8,263 a month to afford the average asking rent in San Diego County, according to a study from the California Housing Partnership.
“Your money goes a little bit further living with somebody else,” Barone said.
But, she says affordability isn’t the only benefit.
“I’m looking at a difference of 300 square feet to 800 or 1,000 square feet so a much more comfortable living space and making a new friend,” she said.
Kaplan says once you meet the perfect roommate, set up a roommate agreement to protect yourself while you live together, and if you missed Thursday nights meet up, Hunt says he plans to make the mixers a regular event in San Diego.
