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Co-living in London: Friendship, fines and frustration

bbc.co.uk

11–20 of 101 posts

Re: Co-living in London: Friendship, fines and frustration

#13
It's good there are different options, but this would be very unpalatable for me. The "anonymity" of these big spaces leads to very anti social behaviour in my experience. Luckily in 10 years in London I never shared with more than 1 other person and now own my flat.

Re: Co-living in London: Friendship, fines and frustration

#14
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is just making money off of the dire housing situation, imho, by squeezing the maximum amount of people into a building. Could you clarify? As opposed to landlords in other cities, who house people out of the kindness of their hearts? I’m just not sure what the argument you’re making really is.

Germany seems to be doing way better.

Flatshares ("WG" , Wohngemeinschaft) are extremely common in Germany. For anyone under 30 living in a major city it is absolutely normal to share a flat with 1-3 other people.

Re: Co-living in London: Friendship, fines and frustration

#15

£1000pm for that is crazy. I did flat shares ranging from £440pm in Stoke Newington. I imagine the going rate might have climbed to £650pm, but this is just bonkers.

Indeed, this should not be portrayed as a competitive rate really, it's just the price of super convenience.

Re: Co-living in London: Friendship, fines and frustration

#16
> The only co-living options in the UK are currently in London

The only places branded with this buzzword, certainly. There are many, many people sharing a house with other people they don't otherwise know. And, of course, student accommodation. I wonder how much these rooms (which the article says were built for students) were actually going to cost for the students that would have lived there before it was bought and "rebranded".

The other place £2800 a month for a flat share is insane though - I live 20 minute on the train from Waterloo station, and that price will rent you a 1300sqft three-bedroom house. I guess it must be exponentially increasing as you get closer in.

Re: Co-living in London: Friendship, fines and frustration

#17
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is just making money off of the dire housing situation, imho, by squeezing the maximum amount of people into a building. Could you clarify? As opposed to landlords in other cities, who house people out of the kindness of their hearts? I’m just not sure what the argument you’re making really is.

Germany seems to be doing way better.

That is because it's less focused on one city so that demand is a bit better distributed. Zoning law is also more helpful than in London, where laws prevent from building on one of the numerous golf courses in the city.

Re: Co-living in London: Friendship, fines and frustration

#19
post #14
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Germany seems to be doing way better.

Flatshares ("WG" , Wohngemeinschaft) are extremely common in Germany. For anyone under 30 living in a major city it is absolutely normal to share a flat with 1-3 other people.

For students a flatshare is normal but all Germans I know that work full-time live in their own flat. In London, living on your own after university is basically impossible (unless you live very far out).
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