We lived in a half house on Bovill Road for 5 years and our experience was generally pretty good.

Around HOP the half-houses were apparently divided at the time of building. This is my belief based on reviewing census details from the early part of the twentieth century where addresses already appear as xxxA and xxxB.

Noise from neighbours can be an issue - as well as the dwellings being separated by a single brick in places, you may have floorboards which run through to the other half of the house. As well as noise, this means that other things can travel - we had one set of neighbours who smoked a lot and we could smell it. Less than ideal.

Check the attic and make sure there's a firewall between the two halves of the house (or make sure you trust your neighbours). At the time of building these weren't generally put in.

My advice - again agreeing with a previous poster - check the neighbours.

One other thing to consider (though for buying rather than renting) is that you are a lot more likely to have a leasehold rather than a freehold, with all the joy (and expense) that may entail.