Press Release: Conscious Coliving launches a joint campaign to provide evidence for how coliving developments can support urban regeneration and provide sustainable, high-quality, professionally managed rental homes.
November 6th 2024
Prominent UK coliving players urbanbubble, VervLife, HUB, Bridges, Assael, The Furniture Practice, coordinated by consultants Conscious Coliving, have launched their campaign to promote coliving homes to local authorities, national policymakers and investors, in order to encourage support for the tenure, increase investment and ultimately deliver much needed rental homes.
The campaign, titled Why Coliving?, consists of an evidence-backed report, multimedia content and industry events, designed to give local authorities, policymakers and investors the opportunity to better understand coliving and how it can meet their housing agendas. The campaign is also supported and endorsed by the British Property Federation, CBRE and Cascade Communications.
With the Government firmly focused on growth and housebuilding, the rental sector plays a vital role in the prosperity of the UK economy, offering both an immediate solution to the housing crisis and a catalyst for economic growth. To build the homes desperately needed in the current economic climate, increasing the supply of rental homes should be a key priority, with coliving as an important part of this picture.
Research and content from Why Coliving? will be released in stages during Q1 and Q2 of 2025, and will include coliving site visits for a select number of stakeholders early next year.
Evidence-backed report exploring the benefits and value of coliving
The campaign brings together coliving investors, developers, operators and services providers, who will share pre- and post-occupancy data on topics including: coliving resident demographics and needs, social, economic and environmental value, supply and demand data, coliving best practices and case studies, and current challenges and barriers to developing coliving.
This data will inform an evidence-backed report which will be available to download and released, along with multimedia, during Q1 and Q2 of next year.
Those interested in learning more and being kept informed can visit this project page below.
Coliving represents quality homes, value-for-money renting, and the generation of valuable neighbourhood capital. Its central location and emphasis on shared spaces and amenities also makes it an environmentally sustainable form of housing - an increasingly important factor when consdering our changing climate and national net zero targets. VervLife is proud to be at the forefront of the coliving sector in the UK, and we are pleased to join this collaborative project to demonstrate the positive impacts that we are having, both on residents, neighbourhoods, and the environment.”
I deeply believe with the coliving community exemplars coming through (e.g. Folk coliving among others), there is a significant opportunity to meet the housing emergency we have in this country. Coliving is simply not scaling anywhere close to the trajectory we need it to across the UK. We want this piece to be a catalyst for developers to make coliving communities, local authorities to accept them in planning and institutional investors to actively target scale as they do in PBSA, BtR and other living asset classes."
“There is significant potential for coliving to change UK housing for the better. Coliving can tick all of those boxes when done in a way that uses intelligent design, is considerate of the local area and people, and focuses on facilitating an excellent lifestyle for those in and around each building. Together we hope to demonstrate how coliving can not only help shape the future of urban living but also unlock housing delivery, economic growth, and investment in places.”
Key coliving facts
- What is Coliving? Coliving (or co-living) is a modern form of professionally managed, rental housing which emphasises community, affordability and convenience. Residents have access to private and communal spaces, which often include shared kitchens, coworking, gyms, and lounge areas. Rents are inclusive of bills, and tenancy contracts are often more flexible than traditional rental homes. Both residents and the local neighbourhood are encouraged to socialise via events programming and design to encourage social interaction.
- How many coliving homes are in the UK today? According to a recent report by Knight Frank, there are 7,540 coliving homes in operation, and a further 13,483 coliving homes currently under construction or with planning permission granted.
- Where can coliving be found in the UK? Most coliving is currently in London. Though coliving also exists in major cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, and Aberdeen, and smaller cities, including Exeter, Guildford, and Reading.
- What is the current investment landscape like for UK coliving? Recent research from CBRE shows that Over £1.81bn has been invested into the UK Coliving sector to date, of which 68% has been in London. This year, £258m has been invested thus far, all of which have been forward-funded developments in London.
- Who typically lives in coliving? A wider range of people live in coliving, though it is most often inhabited by young professionals, with the most popular age category being 30-35.
Why Coliving? Research co-leads
Dr Penny Clark
Director of Research & Sustainability
Conscious Coliving
Penny has a research background. Her PhD, which won a Coliving Award in 2022, explored and measured the environmental impacts of shared living communities, and she has since undertaken research on coliving for policy, industry and academic audiences. Penny has been interviewed about shared living in the BBC and the Guardian, along with having written about shared living in publications including The Developer, Coliving Insights, Conscious Cities, and the book, Urban Communal Living in Britain.
Matt Lesniak
Director of Impact & Innovation
Conscious Coliving
As an entrepreneur, community facilitator and impact strategist, Matt Lesniak works at the cross sections of the community building, impact, placemaking and shared living sectors. Matt has been a driving force behind the coliving sector for years, with a CV that includes The Collective, Co-Liv, and initiatives Coliving Insights and the Coliving Awards. Matt is a strong advocate for impact-driven coliving businesses, which embed environmental and social value throughout their communities.
