The latest research by Zero Deposit, the tenancy deposit alternative, has found that a third (33%) of UK tenants who plan to spend Christmas in their rental property will be spending it alone.
A survey of 1,220 UK tenants who celebrate Christmas, commissioned by Zero Deposit, found that 40% live on their own in their rental property, while 55% live with a significant other or family, 4% with housemates and 1% with their landlord.
75% of those surveyed stated that they will be spending Christmas in their rental property this year.
Of those tenants, 67% will be spending the festive period with those they shared their rental property with.
However, Zero Deposit found that a considerable number of tenants spending Christmas in their rental property will be doing so alone.
9% said that the people they live with won’t be spending Christmas with them at their rental property. A further 24% stated that they already live alone, meaning that a third (33%) of renters spending Christmas in their rental home will be on their own over the festive period.
Perhaps surprisingly, 34% of those set to spend Christmas on their tod said that they prefer to do so. 52% are doing so because their family and friends live too far away, abroad, or have other plans. A further 14% either don’t have anyone to celebrate with, or they don’t get on with them.
When asked about how the thought of spending Christmas alone made them feel, the majority were indifferent, while happiness was the second most prominent emotion.
However, around one in 10 also stated that it made them feel lonely (13%), depressed (11%) and sad (11%).
Despite this, just 18% would be open to celebrating Christmas with tenants in a similar position as themselves and even fewer (6%) would be open to celebrating with their landlord should they invite them over.
Sam Reynolds, CEO of Zero Deposit commented:
“For those of us who celebrate Christmas it can be the most wonderful time of year, but it can also be an incredibly difficult one for many people and for many different reasons.
Loneliness can be a particularly prominent issue at Christmas and as our research shows, many renters are facing the reality of celebrating Christmas alone.
For some, this may be their preferred choice. However, others face a Christmas alone as they simply can’t make it to loved ones due to geographical distance, because they may have fallen out with them, or because they simply have no family or friends to celebrate with.
A Christmas alone for the majority isn’t down to personal preference.”
