Coliving has experienced a real boom in France in recent years. This new way of housing was imagined by the United States before conquering the world.
Coloving is a 21st century invention. This new concept of habitat, which combines private space and community, but also housing and workspace, was in fact created at the beginning of the 2000 years by workers in the digital world.
An idea of the century
The idea is very simple. Since housing is becoming more and more expensive and they find themselves out of reach for young working people entering the world of work, they have turned to shared accommodation, striving to improve the concept.
Pourquoi ne pas imaginer un bâtiment contenant plusieurs chambres, studios et appartements dans lequel serait mis à disposition des locataires une multitude de pièces partagées comme la cuisine, la salle à manger, la buanderie, etc. Le principe est de permettre à chacun de bénéficier d’un espace privé tout en permettant de réduire les coûts sur les espaces partagés.
Living in a community makes it possible to divide the costs of electricity, water, gas, internet and television subscriptions, etc. From improvements to improvements, the colocation has become the coliving where the television or home cinema room, the games room, the garden, the terraces, the parking lot, and a whole range of services are improved every day.
From coliving to coworking
One thing leading to another, the concept of coliving even extended to coworking. Young digital adventurers did not wait for the recent pandemic to discover the advantages of working from home: less travel, less rigid management of working time and better efficiency. Quickly then came the idea of homework carried out in a community setting, where connection costs are shared, as are ideas.
Work spaces were immediately created in the colivings with computers and shared printer, meeting rooms, individual offices, coffee machine, all open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If the concept was invented by digital workers, it has gradually opened up to many corporations: first of all students who find there the same layout as student residences, but also itinerant workers, temporary workers , “short contracts”, job seekers, all categories who need quick accommodation to approach a workplace without necessarily committing to the long term. Subsequently, the concept attracted people from all walks of life, including seniors and retirees who were happy to contribute (and experience) to the community.
La grande force du coliving, en plus de combiner vie privée et communauté, est avant tout sa souplesse : on peut réserver un appartement pour quelques jours, une semaine, un mois ou un peu plus selon les besoins. La législation limite la réservation à un an mais ne s’oppose pas à son renouvellement. Les “colivers” (c’est ainsi que l’on appelle les adeptes du coliving) trouvent ainsi un logement et un espace de travail pour un coût réduit. C’est moins cher qu’un hôtel, moins cher qu’un espace de coworking et en plus, ça combine les deux !
Potentiel de développement
Développé aux Etats Unis, le coliving a été adopté dans de nombreux pays à travers le monde. La France y a récemment pris goût, notamment dans les grandes villes (Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Bordeaux, Nantes…) mais aussi des villes moyennes comme Avignon ou dans la région parisienne. Les observateurs prévoient un avenir radieux à ce mode de logement qui séduit les occupants, mais aussi les investisseurs et les entreprises.
Co-living is rental accommodation, ie it commits you to a real lease and you can therefore benefit from a real postal address to receive your mail. This address can also serve as the headquarters of your company, since you work there. The rental price usually includes pro rata electricity, water, gas, internet and television costs, which relieves you of the hassle of subscription and renewal. Home insurance is also included in this rent.
Many companies are watching the development of coliving with interest. In particular, they can hire staff without worrying about a possible lack of space and a housing problem. Co-living allows him to quickly find a home for his recruit as well as a remote workspace equipped with the connections necessary for his work. In addition to a computer and a quality internet connection, some colivings offer individual spaces for telephone or videoconference meetings.
Investors also welcome the emergence of coliving in France. This is a formula that offers a rapid return on investment. It is up to each of them to offer the best shared services at the best cost for the occupants: rental vehicles (cars, bicycles, scooters, etc.), meal delivery, cooking classes, event evenings, games rooms, sports halls, vegetable garden, beehives, audiovisual studios for creators… The coliving managers are overflowing with imagination to make the place as lively and attractive as possible.