Co-living is a rapidly growing trend in urban areas of the UK and around the world and with good reason. But this smart housing move may be a good choice for more than one reason. Co-living is undoubtedly helping to end the loneliness epidemic.
Increasingly popular, web searches for things like ‘co-living London’ and for co-living opportunities in other major cities have been on the increase in recent years and more so in recent times. This reflects the growing need for more people to find ways in which to combat the loneliness many experience, particularly in large and busy major cities around the world.
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What Is Co-Living?
For those working and living in an urban area or big city, rent can often take up a huge chunk of your income, leaving very little left to enjoy the city around you. With co-living this doesn’t need to be the case. Co-living is a modern form of communal living, which involves renting a private room and en-suite while benefiting from a communal kitchen and living area plus utilities.
Rent is significantly lower than renting a private apartment and often utilities are included in the rent. Co-living can be a perfect option for those moving to a new city, as the communal spaces make for a pre-built community, making city loneliness a thing of the past.
Co-living has become a popular option with young entrepreneurs, keen to experience city life and share ideas, inspirations and spaces. Certain co-living spaces are specifically designed with entrepreneurs in mind, giving a communal working space to encourage collaboration and idea sharing.
How Does Co-Living Work?
Although co-living spaces can come in all shapes and sizes, generally a co-living space will be a family style house converted to accommodate co-living. Each bedroom will be converted to accommodate a single tenant or couple, with a private bedroom and bathroom.
The communal living spaces will be adapted to fit as many tenants as the landlord desires, make sure there is enough room for everybody to wash their clothes or refrigerate their food.
Tenants will rent a room from the landlord, and rent will often also include bills, utilities and council tax, making it a much more affordable option than living alone. Part of what makes co-living such an attractive option in addition to the savings made are the amenities that residents can make full use of.
For example, many co-living spaces will contain gym and fitness facilities, bars and pubs and potentially even additional services like beauticians offering everything from laser hair removal services to spray tanning and simple haircuts.
Can Co-Living Help to End Loneliness?
Isolation and loneliness have become a national epidemic. It has been suggested that adults under 24 are currently the loneliest age group. With so many young people feeling lonely, co-living could be a solution to the end of this problem.
The perfect blend of private and social space and time. Co-living offers an opportunity for those who want to move to a new city to feel safe and secure that they will have a community around them.
Many co-living spaces have organised community events on a regular basis, allowing their residents to socialise and relax without the pressure of organising an event. The beauty of co-living is that there’s always somebody about to talk to, but no pressure to socialise as you have your own private space.
What Are the Other Advantages of Co-Living?
One of the big advantages of co-living is the affordability aspect. Living and working in a big city can be expensive and spending the majority of your wage on rent is less than ideal.
Co-living spaces come furnished which means another expense you can forget about. This makes them perfect for those moving out for the first time or moving to a new city and leaving everything behind. This makes the move-in process cheap and relatively stress-free.
You will have your own private space. Unlike a traditional house share, co-living has the advantage of clearly defined private space. Your room is your own and having a private bathroom means you will never be late to work because you were queueing outside the bathroom.
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