3 Types of Coliving Spaces in Valencia
If you read some of our previous articles, you might have noticed that we talked a lot about the benefits of coliving in Valencia. And of course, as coliving operators ourselves, we firmly believe staying in a coliving rather than just renting can open up a whole new world and experience of the city.
By this time, you might have already thought about staying in a coliving yourself, and now, you’re wondering how to choose the right place.
Well, today, we want to talk about different coliving options in Valencia. Depending on your needs or situation, you might find one type more suitable than the other. You might also choose one type now and, in a few months, come back to another one.
Different types of colivings in Valencia can also help you explore and experience the city differently.
For example, sometimes you will want a private apartment in a residential neighborhood and an external community so you can imitate real life in Valencia, and other times, you might want a community-focused coliving to connect with others and explore the city with them.
Whatever your needs are, there is definitely a coliving in Valencia that can answer them, so let’s dig in.
Coliving startups
Coliving startups are a type of coliving accommodation usually found in bigger cities where people are often looking to move and experience life.
In Spain, the cities where this type of service is the most popular are Madrid, Barcelona, and of course, Valencia.
Coliving startups usually have multiple locations, either in one city, a few cities, or both. This allows residents to choose between staying in different parts of the city and gives a bit more flexibility and options. Coliving spaces with only one location can often be booked months in advance. With multiple locations, you can have a bit more flexibility to make a close-to-a-last-minute decision.
These spaces most often offer private studios and shared apartments in the city, letting you choose if you want to share the space or have the ultimate privacy. While some coliving spaces of this type may have a more traditional arrangement, such as a shared house or villa, they more commonly use apartments. This is largely due to the fact that coliving startups tend to operate in metropolitan areas, where apartments are the most common housing option.
Coliving startups are the best solution for those looking to move to Valencia for a few months but who already know their way around the city and places where they can grow their community more. Coliving spaces, in general, are very thoughtfully designed with clean, modern, and fully-equipped rooms, and coliving startups are often a more affordable option than renting a nice-looking Airbnb.
Some of the best-known colivings in this category are Muppy, Palma Coliving, 4Wanders, Urban Campus, and MyCo.
If you’re completely new to the city or your interest lies more in building a community, growing, and connecting with people rather than only visiting the city, we suggest either opting for a shared apartment in a coliving startup or booking your stay in a more local community-focused space.
Local community-first coliving
Local community-first coliving spaces are a relatively new concept that prioritizes the community and experience over profit. Colivings of this type are typically born from a deeper purpose than only accommodation, which is often seen through a deeper customer experience.
This purpose can be to form a group where people will grow and focus on professional development or where people will experience a more down-to-earth slow-paced life surrounded by nature. Either way, the concept is born from the passion of the operators, which gives these places a more personal, homelike feeling.
Rather than having multiple locations, these coliving spaces often focus on a single location, whether it's a rural or urban area, and they work to have a positive impact on the local community. With a single location, these spaces typically have less than 20 colivers, which creates a tight-knit and intimate community. The community is more internally-focused leaning into deeper relationships such as friendships rather than flatmates or acquaintances.
Another trait of this type of colivings is that a local host is often a part of the wider community, providing guidance, organizing events, and helping newcomers acclimate to the area.
Vivarium is an urban community-focused coliving. Our focus is 100% on locality and community, and our experience is co-created among our colivers. Our concept is for people looking to connect with others and live an enriching experience while seeking a more intimate and meaningful coliving experience in Valencia.
Other local community-focused colivings in Valencia and nearby are Sun&Co. in Jaeva, RuralCo in Castellon, and Spores Homes.
Serviced apartments & student coliving
Serviced apartments and student coliving are a type of coliving that primarily focuses on housing. They are perfect for students or professionals who come to the city for a specific purpose, such as professional development or student exchange.
One of the biggest advantages of this type of coliving is its flexibility - tenants can book a room for a few months instead of having to commit to a long-term rental contract. Also, compared to traditional rental agreements that often ask for proof of residency or at least an EU identification document, these organizations are open to people outside of the EU as well. Students who are not officially enrolled in a Spanish university or professionals who are not employed by a Spanish employer can also easily rent these places.
Additionally, they come fully equipped with all utilities covered, making it easy and hassle-free to rent compared to traditional rentals.
These places offer a more traditional renting and flat-sharing environment where you can have the opportunity to meet others and make connections but it depends on your and their wants and needs if you’re going to pursue the relationship. The focus is more on reliability, affordability, and convenience in housing.
Some of the platforms and providers of these services in Valencia are FV Flats, Helloflatmate, Welcomecoliving, AMRO, Homelike, Housing Anywhere, Roomless, etc.
Different types of coliving spaces in Valencia will let you experience the city in different way
As you see, there are a lot of different options when it comes to coliving in Valencia. As you see, there are a lot of different options when it comes to coliving in Valencia.
As a community-focused coliving, we have some residents who stayed with us for a few months and when they felt like they’ve got to know the city a bit and built the community and were ready to make a more independent step into the city, they gave their spaces to other colivers and booked a place in a coliving startup nearby or rented a serviced apartment.
We also had people joining our space after staying in a serviced apartment or a similar place as they were looking for a bit more opportunities to connect with others.
So, all in all, all these types have their advantages and they’re interchangeable based on your needs at the particular moment. In the end, staying in all three types over a course of a year or a couple of years can help you get to know the city from all perspectives.
