My flatmate was rich and unemployed — I had to subsidise their rent

Financial differences can drive a wedge between flatmates, according to new research (Picture: Getty Images)

Jacob’s former flatmate, Lucy*, had rich parents. So rich, in fact, that they paid a year’s worth of her rent upfront in September 2024.

At £12,000, it wasn’t an insignificant amount of money, but Lucy wasn’t expected topay it back. As a result, she spent an entire year without any rental costs and barely looked at a job application.

Jacob, by contrast, works in hospitality and earns £15 an hour, regularly working 45-hour weeks.

The 22-year-old tells Metro Lucy...