A NEW study has revealed what the ‘perfect’ housemate looks like.

It comes after research has shown that 58 per cent of Brits would pack up and leave if they didn’t like their roomie.

And aside from the obvious trait of being polite, MORE TH>N Landlord Insurance has conducted a survey to discover exactly what the 'perfect' blueprint is. This involved looking at people's cleaning rituals to how often they cook and socialise. 

How many boxes do you tick? The perfect housemate:

1. Is single, and aged 27, young enough to still want to go to the latest gigs, but old enough to have respect around the house.

2. Is considerate and respectful of others, clean and tidy both in private and communal areas, with a positive attitude.

3. Is in full time employment, meaning they are out of the house at work for a set number of hours every day/night.

4. Is interested in TV, food & cooking and film & cinema, so they are able to add some culture to the house.

5. Throws no more than five house parties a year that must end at midnight and that have consent of the rest of the house.

6. Has friends or a partner round no more than four times a month. 

7. Spends 2 hours and 18 minutes with their housemates a month, enabling them to get to know those they are living with.

8. Would rustle up a meal for their fellow housemates four times a month, ensuring the house as a whole is eating together regularly.

9. Would clean up their mess in less than 26 minutes after cooking and clean communal areas three times a month.

10. Is silent as a mouse past 9pm on a weeknight, to ensure respect to other housemates that may need to get up early for work.

11. Contributes £15 a month to the house for communal goods such as cleaning products, milk and tea bags.

12. ALWAYS pays their bill on time, without any delay or chasing whatsoever.

A spokesman from MORE TH>N Landlord Insurance, which surveyed over 1,000 people living in shared accommodation from across the UK, said: “The majority of us have had at least one housemate.

"They live in extremely close proximity to us (and depending on our relationships with them) they can either enrich our lives or be the source of constant irritation – they’re our housemates.”

So what makes a bad housemate?

The long debated rules of courtesy have been settled in this search, with more than one in four (26 per cent) believing a cleaning rota is not necessary, and that it’s OK to take someone else’s food from the kitchen (28 per cent).

Over one in five (21 per cent) also believe that they shouldn’t have to let their housemate know if they are planning to play music in their room.

The research has also revealed the worst characteristics in a housemate, which include being too messy (77 per cent) and too loud (56 per cent).

Smokers were also singled out, with just under a third (30 per cent) admitting they wouldn’t want to live with someone that smokes.