Woman, 25, reveals why she lives in a FOURTEEN person share house

For most Australian renters, sharing a house with three or four other people is fairly common.

But for Jane Moughan waking up in a home filled with 13 other individuals, aged between their mid-20s and early 40s, is her ‘normal’.

When the 25-year-old moved from Wellington, New Zealand, to Melbourne in November 2017 she was reluctant to accept an invitation into the busy home via a friend but decided to test it out.

‘I didn’t know anyone in Melbourne so it was like moving into an instant friendship group. It was the easiest way to meet people,’ she told Domain.

The home, which is south-east of the city’s CBD, has five bathrooms, three showers, a bedroom for each housemate, an industrial-sized kitchen and an oversized living and dining space

The home, which is south-east of the city’s CBD, has five bathrooms, three showers, a bedroom for each housemate, an industrial-sized kitchen and an oversized living and dining space.

Jane understands the house was built in the 1800s and used to be a dorm for women who were blind.

While ‘people think it’s a massive party house’ most of the time the students and full time workers that live there only catch up on the weekends or for special occasion dinners like Christmas.

While ‘people think it’s a massive party house’ most of the time the students and full time workers that live there only catch up on the weekends or for special occasion dinners

The key to living with so many people, Jane told the publication, is the know their schedules intimately

The key to living with so many people, Jane said, is to know their schedules intimately.

‘I share a bathroom with people who are studying as opposed to other people who are working. They shower at night and I shower in the morning so we make it work,’ she said.

Her toothbrush stays in her room, just in case all of the bathrooms are occupied, and she makes sure to wash up her cutlery every night to avoid being ‘shamed’.

In terms of who gets control over the TV remote, usually they just settle the score by putting the sitcom Friends on quietly in the background.

Jane understands the house was built in the 1800s and used to be a dorm for women who were blind

While it can ‘feel like Big Brother’ she has made a core group of six friends in the house

While it can ‘feel like Big Brother’ she has made a core group of six friends in the house, with the occasional ‘strange’ person moving in that only wants to keep to themselves. 

Jane remembers one man being particularly quiet, only using the back door of the house and very rarely leaving his room.

She said it was a little unsettling to live with someone you knew nothing about but she respected that some people were just a little ‘unusual’.

Everyone has their own shelf in the industrial-sized fridge, there are two ovens and stove tops to make food on and you’re very rarely without a drinking buddy.

Jane grew up with two siblings, both of who have very big personalities, and has lived in a number of share houses before, which prepared her for the current living arrangements.

But after she hits the two-year mark in the house she’ll consider trying ‘something new’, although she’ll always have a base group of friends to fall back on

She even feels ‘nervous’ about moving anywhere smaller, just in case there isn’t the same level of camaraderie. 

Housemates need to sign on to a six-month lease but Jane said the turnover is high.

After she hits the two-year mark in the house she’ll consider trying ‘something new’, although she’ll always have a base group of friends to fall back on.