Living in a 'coliving' community: residents tell all

'Cohousing' and 'coliving'. These two little words are creeping into our conversations, but do we really know what they mean? The best way to debunk myths is by talking to people who have opted for these co-housing formulas. In this article, we hear from a couple with two children, a group of retired people and a young American woman.

Do cohousing schemes offer advantages for raising children? Is it a good alternative to retirement homes in old age? Are cohousing flats better for a young person than regular flat-sharing? We hear from people who have been doing it for years.

"The main advantages are that you live in a building, not in a house, and in company rather than being alone," explains Iñaki Alonso, who has been living with his family in the Las Carolinas cohousing community in Madrid since autumn 2020. "Plus, if the building is environmentally designed, you're also living somewhere resilient to climate change".

"A retirement home is somewhere you're taken when you can no longer stay at home. We came to Trabensol without needing to," explains José Pedró García, who lives with his wife Carmen, also 71, in one of Spain's leading senior cohousing schemes in the Community of Madrid. "This is not a retirement home; it's a way of living. It's like a large house made up of 54 small houses where we share many spaces and take care of each other".

"This flat is so much better than any I could find on my budget in Barcelona when I was looking to rent." Madeline Kriara sums up her experience living in a four-bed Enso Co-living flat with three other people just 15 minutes from Plaza de Cataluña.

What is cohousing and coliving?

Before getting down to the nitty-gritty, let's clarify a few concepts. Iñaki Alonso, architect, consultant and promoter of ecological coexistence projects through Distrito Natural, explains the differences concerning property ownership: "In all cases, a relationship is sought between the private and the communal, with the general idea of sharing services."

• Cohousing. A building offering a private space in each property, complemented by other communal areas, such as patios, terraces, multipurpose rooms, a laundry room, a workshop, etc. They are cooperative developments ("self-promotion") conceived as stable housing, although ownership always belongs to the cooperative.
• Coliving. Normally promoted by investment funds or other development formulas, it offers a rental property – generally small – complete with a wide range of communal spaces and services. It is aimed at a younger public, especially professionals transitioning to a more stable housing solution.
• Collaborative housing. This concept is led by developers who offer this new housing model with private and shared spaces as a stable home ownership solution.

Due to its novelty, it is difficult to quantify the current offer. Urbancampus, one of the most active coliving developers, quotes 23,150 places in Europe, of which just over a thousand would be in Spain, according to its 2022 Coliving Report.

"The demand is ready for this type of product, and coliving is expected to grow by 400% in Spain over the next few years," says Alonso, justifying the formula's good momentum.

Interestingly, the threat to its promising future may come from the industry itself, as misuse of the concept could damage a product with undeniable commercial appeal. "It is paramount to offer high-quality standards, and it is a pity that some competitors are not acting in the same way, tarnishing the name of coliving," warns Michael Erd, CEO of Enso Co-living. With its unique flat-sharing proposition aimed at young professionals, the company expects to end the year with 800 rooms.

Cohousing: families helping each other out

Since autumn 2020, architect Iñaki Alonso has been living with his family in Las Carolinas, a flagship cohousing development in Madrid's Usera neighbourhood. His 12-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son live with 18 other children aged between three and 14 in communal patios and terraces or the space reserved for the building's youngest residents.

"It has more than lived up to expectations," says Alonso. "It is said that a cohousing project has a two-year honeymoon period, and having passed that time, we see how it has met all the expectations related to living together, taking care of each other and offering mutual support. It is very different from living independently."

Iñaki Alonso working on the cohousing site idealista/news

Besides the patio, terrace and children's areas, the building has other spaces, such as a popular multi-purpose room for parties, conferences, screenings and even a coworking space. A laundry, a carpentry workshop with machinery and tools and a shopping group for bulk community purchases are other services added to the building: "I don't live in a house anymore; I live in a building", summarises Alonso.

This Entrepatios cooperative development required 15 years of management processes before the 17 units of 60–90 m2 could be built, which the initial cooperative members could personalise. It was also a very demanding project from an environmental point of view, with its own energy production and low energy demand.

The community operates as an assembly. "You have to dedicate time to building the communal aspects, but we do not see it as a burden." Alonso understands that for many people, assemblies can be synonymous with conflict, "but that only happens when you defend what is yours, as an individual. This shifts when you turn it into a fun and positive place where, for example, all neighbours help decide how their annual party will be."

Of course, its statutes foresee that some residents may leave. In that case, the initial amount paid plus CPI is handed over, and new residents are selected from the waiting list. "The new resident has a trial period to see if they feel comfortable in the community and if the community establishes a good relationship with them."

Should conflict arise, the community relies on the goodwill of all parties to resolve it. "We assume that those who decide to be part of such a project have a positive attitude towards solving such problems." In any case, there is a conflict resolution committee with the power to issue a red card as a last resort.

But above all, community solutions are anticipated, for example, in the face of particular economic problems. "In the context of the continuing crisis in which we live, it is very important not to be alone," Alonso believes. "Anyone can have a problem, but here you have a community that can help you for a few months or a year, as long as you show you're willing to resolve the problem. That's what we call resilience." With this philosophy, a support fund is available to face temporary non-payment.

Enso Coliving

'Cohousing' to age together in solidarity

Since it opened in 2013, the Trabensol Social Coexistence Centre for the Elderly has also been a benchmark in cohousing projects, in this case for senior citizens. Located in the Madrid town of Torremocha del Jarama, it has 54 homes of 50 m2 for one or two people, currently occupied by 80 people aged between 63 and 90.

Nurse Charo Herrero has been part of the project with her husband since it was initiated by a group of residents of Vallecas and Moratalaz neighbourhoods in Madrid: "We often said that we would like to spend our old age among friends and, if necessary, to be cared for by them and the specialised staff that we choose ourselves."

For the past ten years, their days and those of their companions have been spent in a 12,000 m2 garden with a vegetable patch and doing activities such as Nordic walking and chi kung. Within the cohousing's 6,000 m2, including community spaces in one of the buildings, there are classrooms for sewing, arts and crafts and a library. They also have community services such as hairdressing or beauty services, domestic and industrial laundry, weekly housekeeping and a canteen.

Juan Imedio, 65, one of the youngest Trabensol members, explains: "Those of us who live together have total freedom of movement, with no timetables or restrictions. We eat breakfast and dinner at home but go to the dining room at lunchtime to check in on each other."

Healthcare is one of Trabensol's priorities and is also one of its distinctive features. "Out of 80 residents, there are only seven dependents of varying degrees," explains Charo Herrero. "They all receive geriatric and home care, and since we can't employ health workers directly as a housing cooperative, we do it through a company to which we all contribute part of our monthly fee."

José Pedro García, another Trabensol member, explains that "taking into account data such as life expectancy and the percentage of dependents, we calculated the sustainability of the care services. With our current approach, 12 members could be cared for, but we've never reached that scenario. We have the impression that people are living longer and better at Trabensol. The average age is 82, and we only have one wheelchair user and two members using walking frames."

In his opinion, he only sees advantages, including the dedication and personal effort that self-management entails. "Cooperative movements require participation, so they come later but much further. I understand there are other formulas, but I have come here to participate, not to have it handed to me. I want to play a leading role in my present and my future."

Cohousing for young professionals

"I pay all my costs in a single payment, including cleaning, and I don't have to sign a five-year contract, which gives me much more freedom." Madeline Kriara sums up her experience living in the four-bed Enso Co-living flat she shares in the centre of Barcelona.

The 35-year-old American woman, who has lived in Barcelona since 2010, calculates that since becoming independent in her native Portland, she has lived in more than 30 shared flats and, with coliving, she finds "the peace and flexibility" that she needs at this stage of her life.

Kriara – who defines herself as a reserved person – confesses that it was not her first choice, but "once I tried it, I was surprised. I really like my space and the rooms we share, and I've also made some great friends."  She feels grateful to the company because "they have a very good filter when it comes to selecting people."

Enso Coliving Enso Coliving

Michael Erd, CEO of Enso Co-living, summarises five advantages of his proposal: "We offer flexible check-in and check-out; a co-living framework with set rules; plus we include loads of services, which provides a high degree of comfort. Moreover, the properties are very high quality, both in terms of decoration and furnishings and utensils. Plus, the property type is difficult to access in the room rental market because, as a company, the owners trust in our management capacity."

Is coliving an expensive alternative?

Kriara pays €890 a month for her coliving apartment, which she considers reasonable. "In the centre of Barcelona, I could barely rent a small studio, and here I am more comfortable, and I have many expenses included," she explains.

The monthly payment is €1,500 for two-person flats and €1,250 for single occupancy at Trabensol. "Of this amount, €106 goes towards dependency, as this service is cooperativised." José Pedro García also recalls that this payment covers almost all their needs: "We have everything included – heating, electricity, telephone, internet, the kitchen and care company, and the twenty people we employ."

An initial contribution of €150,000 must be added to the monthly payment. This amount is recovered when you leave, discounting the refurbishment work on the flat for the next cooperative member.

Iñaki Alonso contributes his experience as a developer of the three formulas through Distrito Natural to his work as an architect: "We came out with market prices", he concludes.

"But in my opinion, that similar amount brings much more value," he explains. "When we participate in a community project in private property, we study the market, look for the right land, analyse how much it costs and how much new housing is selling for. But we're bringing a product that has the added value of communal spaces, advice on how to build that community by creating bonds between them, and coaching to create dynamics in conflict resolution. Besides the property, we are building a proactive community that will live in a home that will work well in the context of the pollution we have in urban areas, that takes care of people's health and offers resilience to climate change."