Europe’s booming co-living sector

It’s been exciting to see the speed with which co-living has gone from being a rather misunderstood outlier in the hospitality sector to a mainstream asset class attracting increasing amounts of institutional investment.

A recent report from JLL found there are now more than 23,150 co-living beds either built or in development across Europe. While policymaker support is still required to help the sector grow, it has “huge potential”.

“Co-living assets are disruptive and innovative solutions for the changing housing needs of the modern urbanite, particularly in areas where supply and financial pressures are increasing the demand for more flexible living space,” said Richard Lustigman, director of living capital markets, co-living at JLL. “They offer choice in a market short of options and the sector’s growth potential is huge. It’s essential that legislation is put in place to protect occupiers, support its value and enable its development so that pipelines can extend beyond their current numbers.”

Europe’s co-living stock is heavily concentrated in the continent’s capitals, with London, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Dublin and Vienna leading the market. London alone has more than 20 per cent of European stock.