It's a scary world out there, a fact that's always clearest when you're trying to rent out a room.
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Despite filing story upon story about Canberra's rental crisis, the extremity of the problem only hit home - literally - recently when my housemate and I advertised the spare room in our apartment.
The response was overwhelming and - to put it politely - varied.
From the overanxious serial caller to the man who left a voicemail describing himself as ''not a pervert'', some of the potential roomies weren't people I'd feel comfortable handing over a set of keys to.
Not only were my housemate and I contending with our own assortment of colourful candidates, our friends and colleagues also felt it necessary to share their horror stories of group houses gone wrong.
After listening to their experiences of alcoholics, kleptomaniacs and one rather loud lothario, I find it unsurprising that more than one quarter of the country's 8.6 million households are home to just one person.
More and more people are making the choice to shack up with themselves, according to a study by the Australian Institute of Family Studies, which says seven out of 10 Australians are living alone by choice and two in five report at least one stint of solo living.
Lawrence Saha, a sociologist with the Australian National University, says technological advances are playing a role in the rising number of single households.
''The internet has just opened up a whole range of options for people to stay in touch without having to physically share a space,'' he says.
''People always talk about isolation and loneliness but that's balanced now with access to the internet. People probably spend just as much time interacting through Skype and other programs as they do face to face. Isolation isn't a matter of geography any more.''
Saha says the choice to live alone - labelled as selfish by some - is about flexibility rather than imposed isolation.
''It's about the freedom to choose various lifestyles without a responsibility to a person living with them,'' he says.
Vivienne Lewis from the University of Canberra's Centre for Applied Psychology says that while living solo can offer choice and independence, there are potential pitfalls for people who live alone.
''Living alone though can cause some people to feel lonely,'' she says.
''It's important for people living alone - and anyone really - to make sure they have plenty of social contact with others. Everyone benefits from being involved in meaningful activities such as health, intellectual stimulation and love, among others, whether living alone or living with others.''
In the end my housemate and I found someone we liked and doubted would rob us in the middle of the night - that's not too much to ask for, right?
This reporter is on Twitter: @stephanieando
Source: Canberra Times.
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