Have you heard about coliving? Just imagine, being able to live with friends, share leisure spaces with people from different places, exchange experiences, knowledge and, who knows, even new job and business opportunities. In this post, we are going to tell you all the details about student coliving and these new formats of student apartments and rooms for rent. A spoiler: at the end, we'll show you the best options for student house in SP and student housing in RJ. So stay with us and check it out!
Why pay dearly for a house or a private apartment if you can share the space with other students and, in addition to spending less money, also make new friends to share the experiences? Coliving is not just one of the facilities of the modern world to reside. In fact, this concept is more than that, as it has become a way of life.
What is coliving?
The term coliving, also called cohousing in English, means housing sharing. In this style of residence, the resident rents a room and shares the other areas of the house with other people, such as the kitchen, living room, bathroom, barbecue and service area, for example. The room is private, but the other rooms are shared. It is widely used by students who, generally, arrive from cities in the interior or from other states in search of work and study. Therefore, they usually look for options for student house with an affordable rental price, complete furniture and group living. All this without losing comfort, aesthetics and good location. In addition, it is an urban trend of sharing student housing, which barely arrived and soon fell in love with the crowd, and an alternative full of benefits:
- Division of tasks;
- Collaborative consumption;
- Optimized use of transport;
- Opportunity to meet new people and cultures;
- 24-hour assistance;
- Possibility of making new professional contacts
We will explain each one of them better below. The student housing model is forming more and more followers around the world, including Brazil. The practicality of the present day and the economy going through a period of crisis, make coliving an urban trend of sharing housing that is sure and very useful. But, after all, where does the idea of coliving come from? Do you know how this all started? Check it out in the topic below!
Where did the concept of coliving come from?
Despite being a current concept, coliving emerged more than three decades ago. The new housing model emerged in 1972 in Denmark and was called Sættedammen. The first cohousing project – a term that refers to a housing complex – consisted of a community with approximately 35 families.
The initial idea was a little different from the one applied today: families had their own house, but shared living spaces and carried out various activities together, such as daily meals and leisure time. Sættedammen's goal was to encourage group coexistence and encourage people to be part of each other's lives. In 1988, architect Charles Durrett brought this lifestyle to the United States. On American soil, he started the venture called The Cohousing Company. Durrett's company believes that living together and sharing everyday life is one of the essential elements to promote a more sustainable society. After all, the coliving model is close to ideas of reuse and conscious consumption, similar to another currently strong concept, the collaborative economy.
In addition to Europe and the United States, the trend has spread to Canada and is quickly arriving in Brazil. This is the case of the company Uliving, which offers coliving in Rio de Janeiro and coliving in SP.
Experience of living in a student housing
According to the doctoral thesis of researcher Edleusa Nery Garrido, from the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), the experience of living in collective housing brings different types of domains and impacts, divided into categories and subcategories that are organized as follows, respectively:
personal domain
Habits and skills, personal characteristics and processes, feelings and perceptions and material resources;
social domain
Composition of the contact network, involvement in social interaction activities and social competence;
academic domain
Knowledge, attitudes and values, academic skills and habits, university involvement and student performance;
health domain
Habits, physical aspects and morbidities and emotional, psychological or mental state.
With regard to the positive changes found, the researcher indicates that the experience of living in a student housing promotes a greater maturity of the young person and favors greater autonomy for him. “It leads you to acquire certain skills that can be applied in other contexts and throughout your life. Such changes may be due to both the condition of being a resident and associated with housing”, reflects Edleusa Nery Garrido.
In addition, another factor pointed out as a positive point is the opportunity for interaction and exchanges between colleagues that a student housing provides to individuals. “It was observed that living in student housing represents a possibility of increasing the circle of friends among residents, a situation that extends as a kind of 'network', that is, making friends with friends of friends, as described in some testimonies”, reports the researcher Edleusa Nery Garrido.
One of the points indicated by her is extremely important for anyone, especially for students and young people who live far from their families: mental health. Psychologist and founding partner of 5WB Co-Responsible Development, Caroline Yu, explains how an adequate student coliving space can influence the university experience. “Being able to count on support in an institutional way is a great comfort for those who are suffering from anxiety or depression. Being in an environment that offers resources (not just material), but human resources, in the sense of bonds and interactions, have more impacts on a subject's mental health and well-being than we are aware of or give credit forSays Caroline Yu, in an interview with Uliving.
The company of other people and residents can be a key positive factor for young students to feel welcomed and welcome in their new home, city, college and environments in general. “Studies show the importance and impact that affective bonds have on our health and well-being. Those who demonstrate strong affective connections are less likely to have general illnesses or heart symptoms, for example, than those with weak ties.”, completes Caroline Yu.
Who is coliving for?
Coliving is aimed at a younger audience that is willing to experiment with new housing styles. In general, it reaches a target audience of individuals between the ages of 18 and 30. In most cases, they are young students and people who are starting their professional lives and still don't have a fixed commitment to work and residence.
Often, the niche that seeks coliving is composed of self-employed young people who want a place to live and also to start work, in addition to having the benefit of living with other people and sharing life and coworking experiences.
Advantages of opting for the coliving lifestyle
Coliving, more than housing, is a lifestyle that benefits not only residents, but also the community. There are many advantages of shared residence. Therefore, the demand goes up every day. According to the coliving manifesto, created by coliving.org, the main foundations of this housing movement are:
● Forming a community in harmony with individuality;
● Approaching each other and generating experiences among different people;
● Offer consumption thinking about collaboration between individuals;
● Build residences and shared spaces;
● Save natural resources;
● Divide decisions and tasks among the residents of the student coliving.
In addition, we have listed 7 examples of benefits for you who are in doubt about renting a coliving space. Thus, you can make the best and most accurate choice. See more below!
7 benefits of student coliving
1. Division of basic day-to-day tasks
Among the advantages of living in a shared residence, we have the benefit of being able to share the basic day-to-day tasks of a house, such as cooking, cleaning or taking care of the garden. Activities can be planned alternately between one resident and another, according to a community schedule or according to the availability of each one.
2. Collaborative consumption
Food and other basic inputs can be purchased in larger quantities. This helps pay a lower price on the market account. In addition, the value of the internet can be divided, as well as many other expenses and supplies common to all. At this time, it is worth abusing creativity in the search for savings.
3. Optimized use of transport and good location
When residing with other people, you can even share a vehicle. How about each day of the week one resident giving others a ride? In addition to reducing pollution by having fewer vehicles circulating daily, maintenance and fuel costs will also be lower. In addition, Uliving's units are located in privileged locations, close to downtown areas, bus stops, subway and train stations.
4. Opportunity to discover new cultures
By living with other people, you get to know new cultures and live new experiences. In addition to contributing to a more sustainable world, this adds knowledge to your life and also to others. We learn a lot when living with other people and, in addition, experiences are shared daily.
5. 24 hour assistance
Shared residences usually have 24-hour assistance, mainly for events related to the living environment. This is something that brings security and peace of mind to all residents. Within the Uliving environment, the resident has a 24-hour team available, surveillance cameras at strategic points, access control to the residence and electronic locks.
6. Possibility of finding co-workers
When sharing a student housing, you often find people with goals similar to yours. And these objectives can also refer to the professional field. You can find one room in the house to be everyone's workspace. Thus, it is possible to exchange ideas, lessons learned and have a healthy coexistence in the field of work.
7. Animal-friendly housing
In addition to all the benefits mentioned above, Uliving accepts pets. cat or dog? Whatever! Here your pet will always be welcome.
Anyway, we mention just some of the benefits of coliving. By sharing the living space with more people, you can, through your own analysis, find many other advantages. However, at first, this concept can be confused with that of republics. But what are the differences between the two?
Meet the coliving Jardins, coliving Paulista, coliving Centro and coliving Pinheiros | Photo: Herzon Carranza
Main differences between coliving and republic
The main difference between the coliving and the student republic is in the lifestyle and the profile of the residents. While in republics, normally, each resident lives independently, in coliving life is shared and goes beyond the fact of residing together. In addition to shared supplies and transportation, aspects of life are shared and lived in a community as a whole – workspace, play areas, kitchen and more.
Other characteristics that may vary between the two forms of shared residence are the rent values. In addition, there is also the fact that the house or apartment is furnished or not and the areas are private or common.
In general, the republics have shared rooms, as well as the other environments. In coliving, this factor is a little different, as it offers more privacy through individual rooms for rent and with options for additional small rooms, such as a bathroom. In addition, in the last option, each resident is responsible for paying the monthly fee to the company offering the residence and, unlike a republic, the space is already fully furnished, which is already included in the package.
5 tips for a good coexistence in a coliving space
Living in shared spaces is an alternative in the modern world. When sharing an environment, whether for living or working, you will also share the costs and have a good saving of money at the end of the month. However, what can be done to make coexistence in a coliving space peaceful for all residents? We have some tips:
- Respect others;
- Stipulate limits for loud sound and noises;
- Share basic household chores;
- Set dates for common needs;
- Stipulate rules of coexistence.
Check out our tips on each of these topics below!
1. Respect others
First, it's important to keep in mind that your right ends where the other's begins. You will live and live with other people and they may not like the same things as you (which almost always happens with family and friends, isn't it?). People have their lives, their tastes, their preferences. This is normal and totally healthy. Therefore, respecting the other's space is fundamental to establishing a good, trusting and fun relationship.
2. Stipulate limits for loud sound and noises
It is essential to stipulate a time limit for loud sound, in addition to other noises. Have you ever thought about the possibility that the residents of the house have work shifts that are completely different from yours?
This is common to happen, but should not be considered a problem. And, have you ever thought if everyone wants to hear music in the heights when they are off duty? To avoid this type of discomfort, it is essential to establish these types of boundaries.
3. Divide basic housework
Sharing basic housework is one of the advantages of coliving. Activities, although shared, need to be performed regularly. So stipulate days and times for cleaning the environment. Take the opportunity to divide functions fairly and, whenever possible, divide shifts and intersperse functions so that no one feels overloaded. The same can be done for daily meals, such as breakfast, lunch, dinner and whatever else residents need.
4. Set dates for common needs
Stipulating a day for paying extra bills that involve everyone is also important. One tip is that everyone pays on the same day so that no one feels harmed. For example: define when the supermarket purchase will be, if done in a group.
5. Stipulate coexistence rules
Visits to the house must be determined and approved in advance by all. One must respect the space of the other and also of the neighbors of the property.
These are just a few tips for living together. The coliving rules must be set up in agreement with all residents. A frank conversation is important before deciding to live together with someone. There are many advantages of sharing a residence, but disrespect is a factor that can get in the way.
Where can you find coliving residences in Brazil?
In Brazil, the coliving trend is already a reality, especially in large capitals such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The main focus is to serve self-employed students and young people, people who are leaving their parents' home to study, undertake or both. There is also a movement to organize coliving spaces for the elderly, as in the United States and Canada. Bringing together elderly people, with the same needs and issues in common, to live together.
Uliving is the largest student housing network in Brazil. It offers ready-to-move-in apartments and studios, fully furnished, an international community, security and unique living experience. For this very reason, it is a great option for university students who want to rent a space in large urban centers in São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. We'll explain in more detail below!
Uliving Student Housing
On the Uliving Student Housing website, you can find out about the housing available and choose the one that meets your location needs, matches your style and, of course, fits in your pocket. The company has coliving in Rio de Janeiro and coliving in SP, with great locations, good prices and other benefits, such as:
- Furnished apartment;
- 100% digital rental;
- Contract without guarantor;
- 24-hour security and support;
- Pet-friendly housing;
- All services in a single account;
- High speed Internet and included in the package;
- Lectures, classes and workshops;
- Celebrations and community life;
- Hiring weekly cleaning (additional item);
- Easy access to the main regions, both in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo;
- Breach of contract without penalty.
Below, check out the units with different room options for rent – Individual Studio and Premium Studio:
- coliving Gardens;
- coliving Paulista;
- coliving Centro;
- coliving Pinheiros (scheduled opening for 2022);
- Uliving on Rio de Janeiro.
Pioneer and with a differentiated vision regarding student housing, Uliving brought to Brazil, in 2012, the concept of completely innovative residence. Developed a student accommodation business, with well-designed, well-equipped rooms and high-quality shared facilities.
When we think of Uliving, we are talking about the best space to live, study and belong to an exciting community! “Transform the way of life of young people, contributing to a new way of relating to society”, this is the company's objective, says the CEO of Uliving, Juliano Antunes.
For Doubt, 18 years old, a resident of Uliving, the relaxed atmosphere was what left her most captivated. “I chose Uliving because I really liked the proposal. I like having people around, especially people who are the same age and are going through the same challenges as me. I decided to come here because I knew I would never be alone.”He says.
One of your neighbors, the Raphael, 20 years old, says that safety is one of the main points of a student coliving. “The neighborhood is safe and the infrastructure of the building too. We have receptionist doors and we use our fingerprint to enter", account.
Your colleague, Daniel, age 21, agrees and adds: “We also have turnstiles to enter. This helps us to be aware that only we can enter”. He lived in the east zone of São Paulo, but chose to live closer to the college and have easier access to downtown locations.
The coliving trend is here to stay!
In this post, you learned a little more about coliving spaces. This trend is here to stay and intends to conquer new fans in Brazil and around the world every day. In the search for a good residence, with affordable rent and other expenses included, student housing appears as the ideal alternative.
If you are in doubt about renting a coliving space, feel free to contact our support team. We are here to help you live well in a quality student residence. It's always a pleasure to talk about this trend that is our passion! Research, ask and talk to others about the subject. Also, look for residents who have already opted for this lifestyle.
To find out more about Uliving coliving, contact us through the chat on the website or through our WhatsApp number: (11) 99501-5349. One more thing: how about taking advantage of this contact to visit your future student housing? We will love to welcome you to our units! Finally, see you in the next blog post. Until later!
