Co-living and hybrid homes are increasingly part of the housing solution for young people. How far does London need an alternative for sustainable homes in the city, and what impact does this have on different kinds of housing, like corporate?
High housing costs in London are forcing many young professionals to seek alternatives. The difficulty in not only affording a mortgage (the average house price in London is now £300k, according to Rightmove). More imaginative strategies are needed to address the crisis, enabling young people to balance work and play.
Co-living projects are being ushered in by young Londoners, where they live and share space with like-minded groups with the lines between work and leisure blurring. The growth of shared workplaces, fuelling the creative and digital working economy, is spreading into home life, creating hybrid home/work conditions.
Co-working spaces in London, like The Trampery and WeLive, are increasingly being seen as models to take into living spaces as well as working ones. Homes being built alongside workspaces, like those at Fish Island in Stratford, fuel this co-working, co-living blueprint.
This growing trend is in part because of a growth in self-employment as well as more people working from home, at least a couple of days a week. A CBI survey revealed half of companies let their staff work from home occasionally. Working from home, or creating creative workplace hubs enables both the self-employed, or the self-productive, work in communities rather than alone.
For corporate housing and those providing extended stay accommodation, especially for those on business in London, this is an interesting trend. Affordability and flexibility are important parts in the decision making process for those looking for accommodation in the capital that enables them to be close to business. Location is vital, amenities and comfort are also. The growing popularity of serviced apartments, like Clarendon’s, is in many ways a response to the expense of hotels for extended stays. Corporate housing allows them to live and work in London for a reduced rate.
As developers increasingly look for ways to make London more affordable for those wanting to benefit from the capital’s economy, housing will be of increasing importance too. For those looking to benefit from London’s business community they need to be able to afford to have somewhere to stay. These co-living projects are closely tied into the growing trend of serviced apartments for business relocations, looking for a place to stay that removes them from the competitive and expensive nature of London’s property market. Weaving together work and leisure in a housing solutions is a modern illustration of corporate housing, blending the two. Serviced apartments, along with co-working and co-living spaces are imaginative solutions to those who want to be able to work in the capital but can’t afford the rent.