Co Living Developments

What is co living?

Co living seeks to build community, encourage social exchange across diverse groups and promote the sharing of skills, experience and ideas. The Kosy Co Living concept represents a 21st century take on the old and ever evolving form of intentional community and is part of a rapidly growing trend towards city centre living, where many facilities are shared. By combining co living and co working, Kosy Co Living aims to respond to the increasingly flexible ways that people live and work today.

Why has the co living concept arisen? 

Mainly due to people being priced out of home ownership with many people expecting to rent their homes for longer. Research by the Royal Society of Arts concludes that: “The fundamental failing of housing today in many parts of the UK is that instead of the system existing and evolving around the needs of the people the people must bend and constrain their capabilities and hopes to fit the vagaries of the system. Co living  today offers an important way of helping some people in some places find an answer that works for them”.  

Unlike Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO’s) and other traditional types of housing, co living explicitly seeks to promote social contact and build community. Research by the Office of National Statistics found that almost 10% of young people were “always or often lonely”, a figure three times higher than those 65 and older. Co living adds additional choice of housing for an important group, bringing with it the wellbeing benefits of being part of a community within easy walking or cycling distance of the city centre. Research conducted by Savills in 2022 found that “with growing affordability constraints and an increasing desire on the part of many to live in an urban location with a sense of community, co-living looks set to establish itself, just like Build to Rent and PBSA have done before it, offering greater housing choice to a part of the market which has often lacked it".

There is an urgent need for more affordable rental homes with all inclusive bills in prime locations. America, Asia and Europe have all successfully adopted co living as part of the answer to their housing problems, and now the UK is following suit.

Kosy Co Living

Kosy Co Living creates more than just buildings, we creates communities. With 24/7 fully trained staff on hand to help with anything from a blown lightbulb to health and wellbeing support, our buildings will be designed, developed and managed by our team. This gives us a truly unique view and drive to do things right from the beginning and to the highest possible quality as we continue to build Kosy Co Living’s business, brand and reputation.

Through modern and stylish design, great amenities, all bills included and its excellent locations, our buildings will attract graduates, young professionals, business start-ups and budding entrepreneurs who are seeking a renting option and environment where they have space to live, work and socialise. From cooking and language classes to hiking clubs and games nights, there will be regular events on to bring the community together.

Our studios are designed to provide comfort, flexibility and clever use of space with excellent storage solutions. Each studio has a kitchenette, shower room, fold down bed and a moveable sofa and table, giving residents their own private and adaptable space.

Communal spaces are on each floor of our buildings for resident use only. Co living areas are designed to provide high-spec communal cooking, dining and lounge facilities. Having such amenity spaces help combat some of the loneliness experienced in single occupancy living, and promotes the wellbeing and inclusivity of residents. 

In addition to this, our co living buildings also have an abundance of other shared areas including fitness and wellness suites with gym and class space, dedicated outdoor areas in the form of roof top terraces and landscaped gardens, as well as co working facilities within the building.

What is co working within co living?

Co working is best recognised through an understanding of some of its constituent parts. Desk space or office units on both short term and long term leases, and many different businesses or individuals working in the same space or building. It offers all-inclusive office leases covering high speed internet, rent, business rates, utility bills and maintenance.

At Kosy Co Living, we provide dedicated co working facilities in all our buildings for our residents and external members to work, connect and collaborate. Modern, relaxed, stylish and well-equipped office space designed to motivate and inspire. Our spaces are flexible, typically with break-out zones and meeting rooms, designed to suit a variety of professions.   

Co working is a socially motivated pattern of working, which aims to increase collaboration as a means to generating new ideas. It is increasingly popular for small businesses and start-ups in the creative, environmental and technology sectors. Principally, many are seeking well located accommodation and exposure to like-minded professionals, but need the affordable rents and flexibility to expand that traditional offices cannot offer, and to avoid complexities, cost and time involved with setting up an office from scratch.

As remote work becomes increasingly popular, having a dedicated workspace within the comfort of your home or apartment building is hugely important. At Kosy Co Living, we take this up a notch by providing excellent dedicated facilities to work from, network and collaborate,  providing comfort, convenience and opportunity for growth.

So whether you're are a freelancer, entrepreneur, corporate team or a remote worker, you'll find the perfect space to work and thrive.

Benefits and affordability of co living

Co living provides high quality living environments where residents have access to communal facilities, often including co working spaces, a gym, laundry and outdoor areas with housekeeping, all bills included and utilities included in the rent. Typically fully-furnished and with on-site staff such as concierge and maintenance, co living simplifies and enhances the renting process.

Considering all-in living costs, co living with its all-inclusive bills, gym and other amenities, is often the more affordable option when compared to other private rental options. With co working spaces, co living enables the growing preference for hybrid working.

The benefits of community living can have a positive effect on mental health and emotional wellbeing, providing a sense of belonging and social connectedness. With neighbours always around and shared amenities, co living fosters a natural environment to socialise, make friends and combat urban loneliness.

Sustainability of co living

Co living is considered sustainable in more ways than one. Firstly, through modern design and smart technology, co living buildings are typically more energy efficient and produce less carbon emissions than old buildings.

Kosy Co Living is committed to high standards of sustainability. This includes: achieving BREEAM Excellent certification, the reuse of materials from demolition, the use of solar PV energy systems, heat source pumps, plus installing green roofs and other landscaping for biodiversity net gain where possible. We also implement innovative in-house technologies to minimise our carbon footprint and further maximise energy efficiencies. 

Also, through the sharing of assets, co living is a form of 'sustainable living'. From appliances and furniture to transport and food, co living can reduce the impact on the environment by reduce waste and surplus in comparison to more traditional housing models.

Our co living and co working building will also be socially sustainable by meeting the accommodation requirements in the area. Co living provides greater choice of accommodation for people renting in cities and will be especially attractive to graduates and professionals, helping to retain the skilled graduates and workforce within those cities, all whilst offering an economic and regeneration boost in the area.

Co living investment opportunities

Kosy Co Living is fast becoming a leading developer and operator in the co living sector. We launched our portfolio in early 2022, unveiling a £1billion development pipeline. Our portfolio is growing rapidly and we are now welcoming new funding partners for our co living developments across the UK. Our projects are currently in  Bath, Birmingham,  Brighton,  Bristol,  Cardiff,  Cambridge,  Guildford,  Leeds,  London, Oxford, Reading and  Surrey.  

Other areas currently being researched at varying stages;

St Andrews, Dublin, Belfast, York, Liverpool, Nottingham, Exeter, Leeds, Sheffield, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Southampton, Canterbury, Edinburgh

As our pipeline grows we are looking to forward fund our larger schemes within the co living sector. We have commercial property investments, co living opportunities for forward funding, equity partners, joint ventures, unconditional funding partners and planning uplift partners. We have opportunities for joint ventures with equity partners as we obtain planning permission with a view to sell or re-finance at PC. We are also sometimes presented with great opportunities for developers where the land owner needs an immediate sale and we are looking to partner with investors who would co-fund this type of project.

Our Projects