Three lads sharing in London's Muswell Hill are the latest bunch to sign up for the Lifebyte Housing Benefit Scheme.

Chris Stephens, Dan Shaw and Pete Murray are all 22. Chris and Pete had lived together before – but when they moved in to their new place in October they didn't know who they'd be sharing with.

'We put an advert in Loot,' Chris says. 'That's how we found the flat as well. We had four weeks before we could move in – so one week before we advertised for a flatmate.'

The lads weren't too worried about the risks of inviting a stranger into their house.

'It's the same for everyone. You just have to trust your instincts. Loot doesn't help the situation – they don't vet anyone for you. But it was the same for Dan – he didn't know we weren't psychos,' Chris said.

In the end, no maniacs showed up.

'On the day we moved in we had four people who turned up to see the place out of six who'd booked.

'We had a doctor and he was a bit too straight and this girl who just didn't click with us – we didn't get on with her. Another guy was a lawyer. But Dan was the first person we saw and he was just more easygoing and laid back.'

The ad produced loads of applicants – but it wasn't all hassle-free. 'I did it all online,' Chris says. 'But I forgot to check a box or something that said don't put it on the internet site. It stays on there for nine days, so people were phoning for days after – a waste of everyone's time. It got a bit annoying.'

Everyone's settling in to the place now without major incident. 'It's going well,' Chris adds. 'As a house, we don't see that much of each other. I see Pete a bit cos I work near him but Dan's got his girlfriend and he's only in the house about 50 per cent of the time. We haven't really gone out and had a chat with each other – it's been hectic.

The London lads join their counterparts in Derby and a Scouse House full of girls who we'll introduce to you in the coming weeks. We're still on the lookout for people in Northern Ireland and Scotland and if you think you or someone you know fits the bill, just get in touch. The first tests we're putting Chris Dave and Pete on are of money and fitness. How healthy are their bank balances and bodies? Find out in the next few weeks.

— Tom Savage 15.11.00

If you or someone you know lives in a house of under-24s and you want more details about being a Lifebyte House, please email tom.savage@lifebyte.net.