Living in a flat share – All you need to know
Shared accommodation is probably the most typical form of living when you are at university. Renting shared accommodation together saves a lot of money. From the rent to the cost of electricity, water, internet and telephone connection – many expenses can be shared in shared accommodation – and that saves money. More infos about that you will find under cheap apartments for rent.
If you don’t want to live with a lot of other students in halls of residence, but you don’t want to live alone in your own place either, shared accommodation or coliving is ideal. In the following, we cover many important points about living in shared accommodation, e.g. the advantages and disadvantages and also the approximate costs that you should expect.
Living in a shared flat save costs
Living in shared apartment can be great fun and varied. Flatmates come and go and you can be lucky or unlucky with them. When you move to your university town and thus to a vacant room in an existing shared house or flat, you will not be able to avoid some type of interview.
This means that the existing residents sharing the accommodation invite you to introduce yourself and see if they like you. After all, you live very closely in shared apartment and share the bathroom, washing machine and sofa. It is understandable that flatmates’ attitudes should be as similar as possible.
The size of shared apartment in Vienna or Graz can vary significantly. Mostly you will find two or three-person shared houses or apartments, but there are also really large shared homes with up to ten people sharing. Typically, in shared accommodation, everyone has their own room and the bathroom, kitchen and living room are shared. But especially in cities with high rents, there are also apartments without a living room. When looking for shared accommodation, you should find out what it has to offer. More info here: Vienna apartments for rent.
As with almost everything in life, there are advantages and disadvantages to living in shared accommodation that you need to weigh up. For those who like plenty of people around them and are not disturbed by the often higher noise level, living with other students is certainly a good solution. However, people who would prefer peace and quiet and cannot tolerate the social control in shared accommodation should perhaps move into their own place. We have put together an overview for this:
There are two options when you start looking for somewhere to live. Either you apply to an existing shared accommodation as a new resident or you set up a new shared home. If you move to a foreign city alone, we recommend looking for existing shared apartment. This will help you to get connected more quickly. Above all, you usually don’t know enough about the new university town to be able to determine the ideal location for starting a new shared home.
However, if friends of yours are starting their studies in the same city at the same time, it is worth thinking about setting up a new shared home. This eliminates the need to introduce yourself to lots of shared accommodation and you know that you are moving in with someone with whom you have got along well over a longer period of time.
But you should also keep in mind that whilst you might get along well with your friend in your free time, aspects of their character when sharing a home with them suddenly appear particularly negative. More info here: Graz apartments for rent.
Often we are asked what costs should be taken into account for a room in shared accommodation. Of course, there’s no such thing as a standard rate, because it depends on the fixtures and fittings in the accommodation, the number of flatmates, the university town and much more. Nevertheless, we have tried to put together an overview for you:
To summarise, we would suggest budgeting for at least 300 euros per month if you want to stay in a decent neighbourhood.
Also interesting:
Furnished apartments for rent in Vienna and Graz
