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People Pay Up To $2,700 A Month To Live With 27 Roommates In A NYC Townhouse — See Inside
Having roommates isn't uncommon in Manhattan, where the median rent is $4,230 a month, according to Douglas Elliman's most recent market report.
Living with a couple of people to defray the cost of rent is one thing — sharing space with up to 28 other people is, well, something else.
That's exactly what Cohabs, a Belgian-founded company specializing in coliving, offers. Shorthand for communal living, coliving typically involves individuals paying less rent and signing short-term leases to live in a fully furnished home with five or more other people.
Read on to find out — and for a sneak peek inside one of Cohabs' biggest homes in NYC.
[Coliving has been on the rise. MAJA DEDAGIC/Getty Images]
Some say that modern coliving dates back to the early 2000s when Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs lived and worked together in spaces known as "hacker houses." Others say it originated long before that, partly inspired by Danish communal kitchens or the kibbutzim of Israel.
Coliving entered mainstream dialogue around the time WeWork's controversial cofounder Adam Neumann launched a residential offshoot of his infamous coworking business. In 2016, Neumann said WeLive, a coliving venture, would challenge "conventional apartment living."
Where WeLive failed, other coliving companies have succeeded. Besides Cohabs, others operating in the US include Common, Habyt, and Outsite.
[A lounge area in a Harlem Cohabs location. Pierre Jampy]
There are 14 Cohabs houses in NYC, with five more expected to open in the next four months.
According to Dan Clark, the director of Cohabs in the US, the number of US members is set to grow to 400 by the end of 2024 as the company plans to expand in New York. It is opening a location in Washington, D.C., and eyeing Chicago for another one.
[The exterior facade of the Cohabs location in Harlem. Pierre Jampy]
As of April, Cohabs' location in Harlem is one of its biggest in the US.
The building was dilapidated for years until Cohabs bought and renovated it, Clark said.
Now the building is home to 28 adults, ranging in age from 23 to 36. To live there or at any Cohabs house, prospective members submit an application through the website, undergo background checks, and get interviewed, Clark said.
[A single room in the Harlem house, which ranges in size from 74 to 160 square feet, starts at $1,700 a month. Maria Noyen/Business Insider]
Rent depends on the location and type of accommodation members choose.
In Harlem, prices start at $1,700 a month for a room that is 74 to 160 square feet and go up to $2,700 a month for a room that is 200 square feet.
It's the prices that have caused a stir on social media. On TikTok, videos have received responses from people confused as to why members would pay thousands for relatively small rooms.
[In Unit 2, residents keep track of their birthdays on a large chalkboard. Maria Noyen/Business Insider]
Living quarters at the Harlem Cohabs house are separated into "units."
Between four and six people live in a single unit, which is divided into several bedrooms, a lounge, and a kitchen. Units also come equipped with laundry, a prized amenity not every New Yorker can say they have.
[A bathroom in the Cohabs Harlem house. Maria Noyen/Business Insider]
Bathrooms are never shared by more than three residents. Residents who don't pay more for a private bathroom connected to their bedrooms have to share.
"There are like 14 private baths within this house," Clark said, adding that residents never have to share a bathroom with more than two other people.
To see more photos of this unique NYC townhouse, head to Business Insider.
