BENGALURU: Co-living spaces, where professionals, millennials and Gen Z reside and have basic facilities such as housekeeping, laundry services, security and meals, apart from additional facilities such as gaming consoles, gyms and high-speed Wi-Fi is not as uncommon as you think and has been around for a long time, said Suresh Rangarajan K, the founder of CoLive.
The alternative to the more traditional Paying Guest (PG) system has gained popularity in metro cities including Bengaluru and will see more people making the shift to co-living in the coming days, experts say. “Co-living is much more than a mere bed-and-breakfast deal. Private bedrooms with access to common shared areas like the kitchen and living room are the norm. Such spaces offer convenience and an entirely new lifestyle for young professionals – most often bachelors and singles – who are not keen to change cities because of their work,” said Anuj Puri, Chairman, ANAROCK Property Consultants.
The government’s recent move to crackdown on PG accommodations in Bengaluru has some hope for Rangarajan as he believes this would drive the importance of joining the organised sector. “The main concern is finding the right accommodation. For them, co-living is an ideal solution, and conventional paying guest facilities and hostels are gradually giving way to this more sophisticated way of living in a less inhibited and restrictive environment,” Puri said.
“A resident at CoLive also fills out a survey of living preferences on the app while booking,” said Rangarajan. But these come with many challenges too. “Sometimes, roommates share a good rapport. In other instances, some people just don’t get along,” said Rangarajan, who believes communal living is not new. “It dates back to the 17th century in many countries with religious cults, monks living in monasteries, the hippie movement of the 1970’s boarding houses. These boarding houses, mostly in America, helped young boarders bridge the gap between family life and adult independence,” he said.