News and Inspiration
Housemates who need each other
Apart from the fundamental house share exchange of needs, where one person needs a home and another has space in their property, there are so many housemate combinations that can make sense. You just have to find the right match. Here are some sharing combinations ot think about – update the sharing preferences on your…
Read MoreFree Premium membership for parents with children
If you are a parent with a child (under 16) looking for a room in a shared house or flat (a housemate), then finding a suitable house share is quite tricky. One of the best solutions is to find other mums and dads in a similar situation to ‘buddy-up’ and create a new house share.…
Read MoreA tiny room is impossible to share
Tiny rooms do not seem suited to house sharing, which balances two elements: privacy and community. So it was with horror that I read about micro apartments in Tokyo, which offers only one element – privacy. I can appreciate the joy of having your own private space, close to the city centre, having enjoyed several…
Read MoreSharing a hot meal together
Over the last few weeks I’ve felt slightly daunted by the prospect of high energy bills. So, as the nights draw in, I found myself preparing an evening meal for one (again); a cheese sandwich – the leftovers having run out. My kids joke that this is all I eat. Not true, I love to…
Read MoreLet’s talk about sharing bills
Do we really have to talk about sharing bills? Well, yes, we do! With energy bills increasing, many home-owners and flatmates are worried about how to pay additional costs. The large majority of flat share and house sharing agreements are inclusive of bills, so there is a real possibility of tensions growing between live-in landlords…
Read MoreRecalculating what you save by house sharing
Back in 2017 we did some basic calculations and wrote a story on Cohabitas about how much money you can save by house sharing. Larger cities, especially London and New York have always had inflated prices for rental properties, but we wanted to check, five years later, how things might have changed. Today we’ve just…
Read MoreHouse shares help beat rising rents
The BBC’s Malcolm Boyden interviews Nick Henley about the reasons for increased numbers of people in their 40s and 50s living in house shares. With the recent focus on the cost of living ‘crisis’, media attention has turned to ways to save money, but many people have shared for many years, and some even prefer…
Read MoreCo-housing with neighbours aged 1 to 80
When Hilary and Lois decided to move into ‘Cohaus’ in Auckland, they were attracted by the prospect of living with multiple generations. It seemed a much healthier option than just mixing with people their age. As Lois puts it: “We are all colleagues. I have grandchildren here, but I am not thought of as someone’s…
Read MoreBrave or mad? Return to the UK.
That’s usually one of the two reactions Judith gets when she tells people her story. Having lived in England for most of her life, she decided it was time to move abroad six years ago. A twist of fate made her settle on the beautiful island of Sicily. But life never stands still – and…
Read MoreHow to declutter and organise your home
In her work as a Professional Organiser at Tidylicious, Hester helps people to declutter and organise their homes and offices, using the method developed by Japanese tidying expert Marie Kondo. In this blog she will share some tips on how to declutter and organise your home, based on her method. She will give some general…
Read MoreDesigning an appealing co-living space
In today’s interview we discuss the design of co-living spaces with interior designer Nuria Prieto – and how to turn them into places where communities can come together and thrive. Nuria, what is important when designing a shared co-living home, where housemates have their own room but share a lounge, kitchen, and other common spaces?…
Read MoreLiving alone in a larger property makes no sense.
Much is written about the ‘ageing’ population and the effects of living alone on well-being and health. In fact, it was one of our motivations when starting Cohabitas, to try to give people an alternative future through re-organised housing – shared housing. The positive health and social benefits from living with others in ‘later life’…
Read More