Noisy, cramped, chaotic; those are surely the words that come to mind when thinking back to squeezing all your life’s belongings into a tiny room and braving a disgusting communal kitchen in university halls.
And while, for many, the experience wasn’t all bad it’s probably not one most would care to repeat.
Which is why it may be surprising that many young professionals are choosing to continue to opt for student-style co-living spaces well after graduation.
Driven out of conventional house shares by soaring London rent – which now averages £2,633 a month – many are heading to ‘co-living’ buildings which offer gyms, cinemas, roof terraces and even opportunities to be social all included in your rent.
A growing number of adults are foregoing typical housing for studios which, in more central locations , often measure less than 20 square metres and cost upwards of £1,775.
However, people are paying more for community, location – and the convenience of not having to look for months for a property and being pressured to snap it up there and then.
‘The way we find love, the way we dine, and the way we bank and travel have all changed, but we still rent the same way we did 60 years ago,’ Paul Naylor, General Manager at Folk – an award-winning brand boasting three co-living sites across London, told Femail.
‘We accept the same old tired rental homes, the same unresponsive landlords and the same tedious admin and bill paying duties we have seen for decades.’
Co-living of the kind offered by Folk, which has three sites across London, offers residents the chance to socialise in communal areas such as the roof terrace (pictured)
All three of Folk’s sites have communal facilities, including gyms and in-house cinemas (pictured)
And that’s to say nothing of the uphill struggle London’s renters face in finding somewhere to live in the first place.
So fierce has the competition for rental properties become that any prospective tenant was up against 15 other would-be renters last year, according to data collected for the BBC.
Against this dim backdrop, the co-living sector has steadily grown, with relatively new brands quickly buying up buildings in locations across the capital.
Folk’s competitors include Gravity Co-Living, which was founded in 2017 and has recently launched its seventh London site in West Hampstead.
As estate agent Savills told the Evening Standard, the co-living sector has in fact trebled since 2019.
Savills confirmed that there are currently 2,820 co-living beds in London, which accounts for 82 per cent of the market nationally, with another 9,000 on the way. But it would be wrong to assume that the growing popularity of co-living is down simply to the scarcity of more traditional accommodation.
Rather, Paul Naylor of Folk gets to the crux of it when he says that it’s about being part of a community.
With sites in Battersea (Florence Dock), Harrow (The Palm House) and Earlsfield (Sunday Mills), Folk encourages ‘the building of relationships’ through a roster of organised activities while ‘ensuring the freedom to feel completely at home.’
While studios come in different shapes and sizes, all include a fully-equipped kitchenette and private bathroom
Emmanuel (pictured), 31, who works in the entertainment industry as a performer, lives with his partner Joanne, 42, at Folk’s Florence Dock site in Battersea
Events ‘vary from weekly run clubs and cinema nights to exclusive fitness classes or cooking classes,’ Paul explained.
He added: ‘Each event is received extremely well, with the majority reaching full capacity.’
In addition, all three sites offer a gym, co-working space, rooftop terrace, cinema room and communal kitchen while the Earlsfield and Battersea sites boast fitness studios, private dining rooms and game rooms.
And, the promise of a ready made community is one of the factors that makes co-living so attractive for many residents.
Emmanuel, 31, who works in the entertainment industry as a performer, has done two stints at Folk’s Florence Dock site in Battersea.
Iraqi-born, he grew up in Australia and now shares a studio overlooking the river Thames with his partner Joanne, 42.
For Emmanuel and Joanne, communal living – as he describes it – is ‘awesome’ and ‘really works’.
Florence Dock, he adds, is like ‘a luxury version of boarding school where instead of having sh***y dorms you have a luxury hotel room with your own kitchen and plasma screen TV the size of the wall.
‘You meet some really cool and random people – some hyper-successful, some just on the rise and some who just want to chill and escape their lives for whatever reason.’
Abi (pictured), 21, who works as an accountant, lives with his girlfriend at The Palm House in Harrow
Many residents are drawn to co-living for its promise of a ready-made community and opportunities to socialise
The couple, whose current stay is around six months, have made friends while living at Florence Dock, with Emmanuel meeting people while playing X-Box in one of the shared spaces and Joanne striking up conversations in the co-working space.
And, the ‘extraordinary’ central London location with its views of the River Thames, is theirs for much less than some of their neighbours.
Emmanuel, who pays £2,400 per month for the most spacious room available at Florence Dock, said: ‘There are apartments right in front of us that are also on the Thames and they’re four, five, six grand a month.
‘We’re paying no where near that price and we’ve got a view of the city and the river. I mean, it’s extraordinary.’
In addition to the view, Emmanuel and Joanne are able to enjoy a whole host of restaurants nearby as well as in-house facilities including a gym, home cinema and a theatre.
Emmanuel enthused: ‘[Florence Dock] is just one of those really cool concepts. It has all the things you would want in your own apartment but you don’t have to pay extra.
‘For what you get and the price you pay, I think it’s genius.’
Residents are equally drawn to the convenience that co-living provides when it comes to practical matters such as rental payments, as well as the flexibility offered in terms of length of stay. Options are also available for both those who may want a compact studio with a kitchenette or, elsewhere, a place with a larger communal kitchen.
The co-living sites offer state of the art communal kitchens, which tend to be social hubs with residents cooking for each other and eating together
The communal kitchens are offered in addition to the kitchenettes, which are standard in all the studios
Paul added: ‘Residents pay one monthly fee that includes everything and, unlike the 12-month typical lease, our residents have flexibility and can move for as little as three months or longer, with no deposit.’
Yet, it’s obvious that the convenience of Florence Dock, while important, is not what keeps the Emmanuel coming back.
Rather, he and Joanne are sold on co-living as a ‘beautiful’ antidote to common societal issues caused, at least in part, by the individualistic nature of modern life.
‘Covid and what happened during the pandemic, the human separation, made us forget how to be sociable,’ he added.
‘We forgot how to be kind in many ways, we forgot how to be supportive to one another, we forgot how to communicate with each other.’
As heart-warming as that is, it does, however, beg the question of who co-living is really for.
But, while it may sound like it is geared only towards extroverts, General Manager Paul insists that there’s no pressure to socialise.
Citing a recent survey conducted by Folk, he sad residents love having ‘the opportunity to have freedom and socialise while not feeling that they are forced to socialise if they don’t want to.’
While Folk – and other co-living sites – offer a roster of activities for residents, people also organise social activities for friends and other residents
The average age at Folk is 31 and the majority of people – 86 per cent – are single, so it’s no surprise that residents are looking for a vibrant lifestyle as well as somewhere to sleep
Karaoke nights are among the most popular activities, with residents congregating in the communal kitchen and singing along to their favourite tunes
Yet, since the average age at Folk is a youthful 31 and the vast majority of residents (86 per cent) are single, it’s will come as no surprise that ‘connecting with others’ is high on the priority list for many.
Abi, a 21-year-old accountant who lives at The Palm House in Harrow – the first Folk site, which opened in March 2022 – may be on the younger end of the spectrum but chose co-living as much for ‘the community’ as for the easy ten-minute commute to work.
‘I knew this was the right place because I’ve met very lovely people that all come from diverse backgrounds,’ Abi said.
Of all Folk’s residents, 25 per cent have come from overseas while 44 per cent are from the UK.
‘People have different professions but everyone is seeking the same thing, a community, which is why I’m here to be honest.
‘If you’re having a bad day, there are people you can talk to. It doesn’t have to be the designated mental health supervisor, it could just be your neighbours or friends.’
Abi lives with his partner and the couple pay a total rent of £1,753 per month, which includes a £200 dual occupancy charge.
Even though they could do with some extra storage space, the cinema next door, the gym down the corridor, the communal kitchen and the roof terrace make The Palm House worth their while.
‘Everywhere you walk, there’s always something to do, and you’re bound to see someone to chat to in the communal kitchen,’ he added.
‘Everyone here has a youthfulness and ambition to connect with others.’
He does, however, have one gripe – namely, the state of the communal washing machines, which, he says, other residents don’t take care of.
Still, the number of close friends he’s made since he moved in more than makes up for some residents’ carelessness.
Abi recalled: ‘Nine of us did a trip to Manchester in February. We drove up and shared an AirBnB. Travelling and exploring together was a great experience.
‘You never know, you could make life-long friends. If you’re introverted to begin with you might be an extrovert by the end of your tenancy.’
There’s no doubt that co-living isn’t for everybody, and, given the fact that’s available only to those in a certain income bracket, it’s a stretch to see it as a radical solution to the rental crisis.
Yet, in today’s individualistic society where loneliness is on the rise, the way that co-living facilitates community and drives connection is not to be underestimated.