About flatmate.com
Independent, bootstrapped, and quietly connecting flatmates since 1998. Right now we’re in the middle of a major rebuild.
2026 update
What’s new
After 27 years, we’re rebuilding flatmate.com from the ground up. John Stericker and Jayen Ashar are adding features you won’t find on most flatmate sites, and everything is free to use while we roll it out.
Some highlights:
- Built-in video calling. Start a peer-to-peer video call from any message thread. No apps, no phone-number exchange; the call connects directly between the two devices.
- ID verification, powered by Didit. A verified badge on your profile builds trust with landlords and flatmates.
- Property Hub. Once you’ve moved in, track chores, split bills, manage rent, share a house calendar, and keep a record of your rental agreement.
- Refreshed interface. Faster and cleaner, rebuilt on modern web standards.
- Instant messaging and formal offers for verified accounts, so good matches don’t get held in moderation.
Free while we build. Paid plans are coming, but everything is free to use right now, and core flatmate-finding will always have a free tier.
Since 1998
In 1998, John Stericker stumbled across flatmate.com. When a close friend put out a shout-out looking for a room, John typed flatmate.com into Netscape Navigator (it was 1998, after all) to see if he could help. The domain hadn’t been registered, so he bought it on the spot.
Twenty-seven years later, we’re still going. We don’t pretend to know exact numbers (flatmate.com has never been big on analytics), but through emails, social-media messages, and feedback from users over the years, we know we’ve helped a good many people find each other along the way.
What flatmate.com is
- An online service that connects like-minded people for share and long-term rental accommodation
- A dedicated platform for finding a flatmate, or accommodation if you’re looking for somewhere to live
- In continuous operation as a global online service since November 1998
- Covering Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland, with hundreds of cities listed
- Free to post an ad and make contact with other members. Always will be, on the free tier.
- Independent and bootstrapped: no venture capital, no private-equity owners, no advertising-driven incentives to keep you on site longer than you need to be
The team behind it
flatmate.com is operated by SuburbChooser.com Pty Ltd, a two-person shop with no physical office. We work remotely from opposite ends of New South Wales and keep things deliberately small so we can stay focused on what matters.
Founder & product
Bought the domain in 1998 and has been tending to flatmate.com ever since. Based in Newcastle. Answers the email.
Engineering & platform
Builds and runs the stack behind the scenes: the Next.js platform, messaging, video calling, and Property Hub. Based in Sydney.
Lifestyle & social
We run a blog at flatmate.tv with practical advice on share-house living, landlord and tenant rights, and the odd bit of flatmate trivia.
A quick note on our Facebook page: Our long-running flatmateTV Facebook page was removed by Facebook without warning, explanation, or any realistic way to appeal it. Years of posts and a considerable audience, gone overnight. We’ve started again from zero at facebook.com/flatmatecom. If you were following the old one, please give the new one a follow.
- Facebook facebook.com/flatmatecom
- Instagram instagram.com/flatmatetv
- X (Twitter) twitter.com/flatmateTV
Thanks for dropping by
If you’ve got feedback, a question, or just want to say hello, we’d love to hear from you.
From the archives
flatmate.com in Revolver Magazine
A clipping from Sydney street press, November 2000. flatmate.com featured in Revolver Magazine a couple of years after launch.
© SuburbChooser.com Pty Ltd · flatmate.com · Newcastle & Sydney, Australia