Does the idea of having a flatmate fill you with despair or do you think it could potentially be quite good fun?

Whatever your view, sky-high London rents mean that, for many tenants, there is no option but to get someone to help share the costs and that means getting themselves a flatmate.

For some people, having friends in the same position makes the perfect solution and moving in with someone that you already know can make things a bit easier. But without a willing friend to share the rent, advertising for a flatmate is the next step.

Hopefully you will find that you have lots to choose from and if you have a moving-in date in mind, leave yourself enough time to make the right choice as you could be stuck with mistakes for a long time.

However, if interviewing likely candidates seems like hard work, then web site www.spareroom.co.uk may have the answer. They have started up speed-flatmating evenings to help potential flat sharers get together. The principle of speed-flatmating is similar to the more familiar speed-dating.

Gemma Craft, founder of www.spareroom.co.uk, came up with the idea after a friend told her about a speed-dating evening she'd been to. "The web site had just been launched and we were discussing ideas. We thought that this kind of thing would also work for finding flatmates and it just went from there."

Events are usually held in pubs or bars and each person is given a scorecard and badge saying who they are as well as what their budget is. People then spend four or five minutes with each person, and they both then mark on their scorecard whether or not they are interested. At the end of the event, the organisers collect up the scorecards and match those with reciprocal ticks so that they can pass on their contact details. Gemma says that, although it seems like a short amount of time, it seems to work well. "Four or five minutes does seem quick but it's generally enough time to form a first impression. In that time you can usually decide whether you like or dislike someone."

There are a number of advantages to the speed method, the first being that you can see lots of prospective flatmates all at once as well as helping to eliminate the risk of letting strangers into your home. By meeting in a fun and sociable way on neutral ground it also removes the formality of doing one-to-one interviews and should help you get a better impression of the people you are choosing between, as everyone is likely to feel more relaxed.

Once people with rooms to let have been matched with interested flat-hunters, they can then arrange viewings between themselves. There is no obligation and you don't have to commit yourself on the night, but it cuts down on the amount of time both parties spend filtering out unsuitable rooms or flatmates.

Gemma says that there are more speed flatmating events planned for north London later in the summer so if you are interested in attending, visit