The average age which people in Brighton living in rented accommodation think they will be able to buy their first house is 32, according to research published by Spark Energy.

The survey, which was issued to people living in rented accommodation across the UK, found that most Britons thought the age of 33 would be the year they step onto the property ladder.

However almost 30% of the city’s respondents (27.6%) do not believe they will ever be able to raise the money to buy a home, the highest percentage in the UK.

Half of Brighton renters (55.2%) would pay extra each month to live with the ‘perfect flatmate,’ with the average tenant willing to splash a staggering £1,149.96 per year if it was possible.

More than three quarters (75.9%) of respondents who rent in Brighton said their best flat/house mate is from outside of Brighton.

The research was commissioned by Spark Energy, the specialist energy supplier for the lettings industry and the survey was timed to coincide with National Flatmates Day on 24th March.

Shaun Burnett, Spark Energy’s ?Director of Customer Experience said: “Our flatmate survey has revealed a number of interesting insights about the perceptions and attitudes of people in Brighton living in rented accommodation.

“We’ve identified that 32 years old is the average age a renter in the city thinks they’ll be able to buy their first property and that around 27% see it as too expensive.

“The high percentage of people willing to spend more to live with the perfect cohabiter is quite the revelation and something which could become a trend.

“This information is really useful to our business through our focus on the rental sector, helping us to know customers which can only be beneficial to the service we can offer.”

Some of the other findings included:

• Being clean and tidy is the number one attribute of a good flatmate in Brighton (as voted by 89.7% of respondents) while having ‘good-looking friends’ was raised as important for 3.4% of people

• Living with between two and three people is ideal for most people in the city

• Optimistically, 96.5% of respondents like the people they currently live with

• Almost half of the city’s population (48.3%) who rent see meeting through friend’s interaction as being the best way to pick flatmates while only 6.9% prefer using websites

Spark Energy is the leading supplier of energy for the lettings sector, offering a service that’s specially tailored for people in rented accommodation. Based in the Scottish Borders, the company provides gas and electricity to over 275,000 customers across Great Britain.