What Is Coliving and How To Choose a Coliving Space

In a world that is becoming ever more difficult to find and afford to live independently, coliving has been growing in popularity as a viable option for most people looking to move into new areas. coliving at its core is essentially shared housing. It is a great way to get to know new people, whilst also saving money too. However, your own experience when it comes to coliving will be dependent upon the decisions you make when choosing your coliving path. 

In this article, we will be going over the pros and cons of coliving can be. As well as this, how to go about actually choosing a space to co-live within to ensure you have an enjoyable and comfortable experience. 

Pros and Cons of Coliving 

When living with others there are a lot of factors to consider. There are both positives and negatives to most aspects of life, and it is no different when it comes to coliving. Below we have gone over just some of the most standout pros and cons when it comes to coliving.

Conflicts Are Kept to a Minimum

There are many positives to coliving. But, to start with the positives that come with well-chosen coliving circumstances, there is a lack of conflicts that should arise. In some living circumstances, many people can relate to the frustrations that can occur. These can often include housemates threatening to discontinue the lease. As well as this, having late payments and a lack of general cleanliness. When you decide to go with a coliving experience, all of these issues fall away. This is because you will only be paying for your share. This means you will not face any repercussions for the potential shortcomings of your housemates.

Affordability 

All over the world, living in well-known or capital cities is almost guaranteed to bleed you dry financially. This is why coliving is such a beneficial thing to consider if you’re moving into cities such as London, Dublin, Paris, for example. Usually, coliving units are quite large and sometimes even furnished themselves. This means you’ll be able to live somewhere luxurious and comfortable without having to fork out your life savings.

Almost Zero Choice on Potential Housemates 

Everything has a good and a bad to consider. As mentioned, coliving is no different from this fact. When deciding to live in a coliving space, it is important to weigh up the potential cons of coliving just as much as weighing up the pros. One of the main cons to coliving is the lack of choice you have over who your potential housemates are. You could manage to be matched with people of similar interests and personality types. But it is still good to be prepared for the reality that not everyone you live with is going to be a perfect match for who you may have a

a good relationship with.

Location Limitation 

Although coliving isn’t a new concept anymore, it still has not moved beyond major cities whatsoever across the globe. This means the locations you have to choose from are limited to major cities only. Yes, this could change in time, but at the moment, it is an issue faced by many people who are looking to branch out into the coliving lifestyle. That being said, if you’re choosing to live in a major city, and the pros are aligning, there will be little to complain about in terms of having the stuff to do.

How To Choose a Coliving Space 

So now that we have established what a coliving space is, and gone over the potential pros and cons that may come with coliving, how do you go about choosing the ideal coliving space for you? Below we have listed some points to consider when making that pivotal decision about which coliving space may be the one for you.

• Consider the items and aspects of daily life that you cannot live without. These will be the vital things you will look for in the location you’ll be coliving in. 
• What are the costs involved in the space and will there be any extra costs involved in the living space.
• Is there any coworking space for working efficently?
• Internet connection may be vital, even more so if you need the internet to work from home.
• Does the coliving space you’re looking at accommodating the ability to plan or organize social events?

Lastly, once again, go over all available pros and cons to living within the coliving spaces available to you. This will ensure that all the positives and negatives are efficiently weighed up before committing to something as important as a coliving space for the foreseeable future.

Conclusion 

Overall, coliving seems to be on the up all over the world, despite still being mainly restricted to the major cities of countries at the moment. This article has aimed to help you understand what coliving is and highlight the pros and cons of coliving so that you can coherently weigh up the decisions for yourself.