So more and more singles and families are making the switch to cohousing. But how do you get started? This article will help you get started.
1. What is cohousing?
No idea what cohousing stands for? Very simple, you will live with other people in a house or apartment and share expenses. Your roommates are people you already know or strangers you’ve never met before.
You share with these people certain common ruimtes in the house and have your own bedroom and private bathroom or not. Common areas are usually the living room, kitchen, dining room, bathroom, laundry room, garden and garage. The focus in cohousing is on encouraging spontaneous interactions between residents.
Read our article Cohousing by Law to learn all about the laws surrounding cohousing.
2. Are there other forms of saliving?
Yes, there certainly are! Besides co housing, there are other forms of living together. With some you already have a little more privacy than others. Before you take the step to cohousing, it may be helpful to look into these forms of cohabitation as well.
2.1. Leefgemeenschap
Here the residents live in strong harmony, in some cases you can speak of a family unit. Often there is a unifying theme within the group such as religion or some other form of spirituality. This form is less common in Belgium.
2.2. Woongroep
In a residential group, residents also live in 1 home. This form of living together gives you just a little more privacy. The home is divided into small units, with at least one common room. What makes a living group special is the mutual organization of the residents, where there is a shared intention.
2.3. Gemeenschapshuis
The term community home is similar to a residential group. The difference lies in the term of cohabitation. In a residential group, the commitment of the residents is to a long-term cohabitation, whereas in a community house, it is more about temporary occupancy.
2.4. Kangoeroewoning
A fourth form is a kangaroo home. This form is often used in family settings. The home consists of 2 parts with separate front doors and their own living space, bathroom, kitchen and bedroom(s). Consider a larger living unit for the family and a smaller part for the grandparents, for example.
2.5. Co-wonen
A final option is co-housing. This leans most closely to traditional group living, such as an apartment building. Each resident has their own house or apartment with kitchen, living space, bathroom and bedroom. Usually only the outdoor spaces (garden, terrace, garage …) are shared, but certain indoor spaces can also be shared (work studio or laundry room). It is important that the shared spaces have a common function and the residents manage them themselves.
3. How do I get in touch with fellow residents?
- Hear around from friends or acquaintances. First, check in your own circles to see if there are people who would also like to live alone, but are unwilling or unable to bear the costs alone.
- Join a cohousing group on Facebook. You can find a group for each region. Here people post both calls for a new roommate in an existing cohousing residence, as well as calls from individuals to join somewhere or rent something together.
- Take a look at www.samenhuizen.be. Hier vind je een ruim gamma aan zoekertjes. De site heeft verschillende filteropties om zo jouw ideale cohousing situatie te vinden. This allows you to specify whether you are looking for housing as an individual or group and in which region.
- Another platform for cohousing is Roomies. On this website you can go as a tenant and landlord. You can find rooms all over Belgium. As a tenant, you can easily set up filters to find a property that suits your needs. For example, you can specify the gender and age of your roommates, whether or not they are still studying and the possibility of a domicile address. As a landlord, you can place a room online in 3 steps and at no extra cost.
- More and more new construction cohousing projects are also popping up. Both to buy or to rent. A good example is the Minerve cohousing project. You buy your own apartment or house and become co-owners of the extensive common parts and garden. The common areas come under a “common house” with a dining room, kitchen, laundry room, children’s playroom, guest room, storage room and coworking space.
Would you like to cite this article as a source? Then use:
Dillen, E. (2024, Oct. 1). Cohousing, how do I get started? Apartment.be. Accessed on (date XX/XX/202X), from https://www.appartement.be/cohousing-hoe-begin-ik-eraan/
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