While colocation is a clear concept for most of us, because it’s so common in our lifestyles, coliving is often a fuzzier concept. What do they have in common, and what are the advantages of coliving over sharing?
Common features of colocation and coliving
In both cases, the idea is to share an apartment or house between several tenants, and to divide the costs equally. Each tenant has his or her own bedroom, but in coliving they often also have their own bathroom, and share common areas. There are two major advantages to this type of accommodation. An obvious financial interest, especially in large cities: being able to benefit from a larger apartment than you could rent on your own, and making economies of scale on charges (electricity, internet, insurance…). A second benefit is to avoid loneliness, make new acquaintances and enjoy a social life in your own home.
The disadvantages of sharing
The Friends series may have been a dream come true for many people, but sharing a flat can sometimes turn sour when tenants don’t get along. Most of the time, tensions arise when the rules of living together are unclear, for example, when one person feels that he or she is the only one doing the housework, or when there are financial disputes when it comes to sharing utilities (so-and-so always leaves the lights on, so-and-so takes showers for too long…). Last but not least, real difficulties can arise when one of the tenants stops paying the rent, because most of the time, the lease signed is a joint and several one, with each tenant committing himself for the others and being liable to the landlord for the total rent.
The advantages of coliving
The aforementioned disadvantages of colocation are almost all eliminated in a coliving system.
- External management
It’s not up to the tenants to pay the bills, fix the leaky sink or clean the common areas. Everything is taken care of by an external person who manages the coliving. You pay a flat rate that includes rent, utilities and services, and you don’t have to worry about a thing, which saves a lot of arguments between housemates and makes life a whole lot easier!
- No joint lease
Each person joining a coliving space signs an individual contract and is not responsible for the other people living with them. So there’s no financial risk: everyone pays what they owe and that’s it, no nasty surprises. What’s more, conditions are often less strict regarding guarantors and deposits, and accommodation periods are more flexible.
- Additional services
Another advantage of coliving over a shared apartment is the wide range of services on offer: sports classes, laundry facilities, video projection room, packed lunches… These little extras help to improve daily life and create a good atmosphere in the residence. In some cases, social events are also organized. Some coliving residences bring together people with common tastes such as ecology, new technologies, design… The result is a tighter-knit community with things in common right from the start.
Coliving combines the main advantages of shared accommodation, avoids its disadvantages and adds a touch of service and comfort. It’s not for nothing that coliving is becoming increasingly popular in Belgium and throughout Europe!