You might be thinking, “What are the advantages and disadvantages of sharehouse…?”
While living in a sharehouse has some advantages, e.g., the initial cost and rent are cheap, and you can make more friends, there are some disadvantages, like you may get bothered by others’ sounds. Also, in many cases, depending on the number of residents, advantages you would feel may change.
It would be easier to find your ideal sharehouse by knowing each type of sharehouse’s advantages and disadvantages.
So, we introduce the advantages and disadvantages of the following types of sharehouses in this article.
・Basic advantages and disadvantages
・Large-scale sharehouse
・Mid-small scale sharehouse
・Sharehouse for students
Also, we explain how to choose the right sharehouse for you at the end. Please refer to it as well.
First, let’s take a look at the basic advantages and disadvantages of sharehouses!
The basic advantages
The basic advantages of sharehouses are as follows.
・Rent is lower than the market price
・Saving the initial cost at around ¥100,000 because you don’t need to pay deposit and key money
・Starting a new life immediately since most sharehouses are already furnished
・Using a spacious living room with a full range of facilities
・Leaving some of the housework, such as cleaning.
・Expanding your friendship since many people in the sharehouse meet each other for the first time
Basically, most people feel the financial aspect and convenience of life as the advantage.
Since the living cost is cheap and the sharehouse is already furnished, your life goes smoothly after moving in as a result. When you feel, “I want to live here!” you can easily take action.
It’s also possible to live in a location that you dream of and in a place near the station since the living cost is low.
The basic disadvantages
Next, let’s take a look at the disadvantages.
・You might be bothered by the sounds of other residents
・Minding what you wear all the time
・The ratio of men to women is not always equal
・You don’t always get along with other residents
・Stress caused by daily life and relationship with other residents might end up in trouble
A lot of people feel the trouble related to the relationship with other residents as the disadvantage. It’s easy to expand friendship in a sharehouse, but it doesn’t mean that you always get along with other residents, and everyone has the same value/perspective in life.
Also, depending on a type of sharehouse, such as a mixed-gender sharehouse, new problems could arise.
We told you earlier that relationship problems could arise, but this may change depending on the scale of the sharehouse.
So, let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of each scale of sharehouse.
The advantages and disadvantages of large-scale sharehouses
The advantages and disadvantages of large-scale sharehouses (the number of residents is 20~100) are as follows.
[Advantages]
・A lot of events and parties
・Easy to have friends and a partner come over
・Expand friendships rapidly since you can meet people with various jobs, nationalities, and generations
[Disadvantages]
・Shared-spaces/facilities tend to get dirty
・Sometimes noisy through the night
・Hard to keep your private time
Many people who live in a large-scale sharehouse love talking to people. So, a lot of events and parties are held, and you would feel like the sharehouse is buzzing.
However, there are some disadvantages, such as “noisy until midnight” and “shared-spaces/facilities tend to get dirty.” In that case, you feel less stress by keeping a decent distance, like choosing a room that is far away from the shared-spaces/facilities.
The advantages and disadvantages of mid/small-scale sharehouses
Next, let’s see the advantages and disadvantages of mid-scale sharehouses (the number of residents is from 8~15) and small-scale sharehouses (the number of residents is 3~7).
[Advantages]
・Keeping a decent distance with other residents
・Usually quiet, and easy to keep a private time even in a shared-spaces
・Easy to say your opinions when there is a trouble
[Disadvantages]
・Fewer showers and toilets, so it can get crowded
・Having friends and a partner is not allowed in some sharehouses
・Getting bothered if you have someone you don’t get along with in the sharehouse
Sharehouses with fewer residents are quiet and hardly get noisy. You can also keep a decent distance from other residents, and it’s easy to say your opinions when you feel stressed.
However, facilities such as a shower room are few, so those facilities tend to get crowded. Staggering the time of use and other ways are likely to be necessary to live comfortably.
The advantages and disadvantages of students living in a sharehouse
While many residents of sharehouses are working adults, students live in a sharehouse as well.
Students living in a sharehouse have the following advantages and disadvantages.
[Advantages]
・The initial cost and rent are lower than renting a regular apartment
・A lot of opportunities to meet and interact with working adults
・Less burden on housework, such as cleaning, since you can leave it to a cleaning company even if you live alone for the first time
[Disadvantages]
・Rent is higher than an apartment specified by the school
・Fewer residents from the same generation
・A school/college is not always close to the sharehouse
The cost of living in a sharehouse is cheaper than renting a regular apartment, so it’s possible to save the cost of moving and living. Also, usually someone is at home, you don’t feel anxious and lonely even if it’s for the first time to live alone.
One of the disadvantages is that other residents tend to be older since there aren’t many students. You may need to exchange views and compare each perspective, but you can know the experiences and stories that you cannot encounter from a typical student life.
How to choose the right sharehouse for you
We introduced the advantages and disadvantages of sharehouse so far, but you might be wondering, “Which sharehouse is right for me…”
So, we introduce the following three ways as a way of choosing the right sharehouse for you.
[1. Think about your ideal life and basic conditions]
First, please think about your ideal life and basic conditions. For example, “I prefer a sharehouse near the station,” or “I would like to use home appliances that I cannot buy if I live alone.”
If you don’t have concrete prerequisites, any sharehouse can’t ring your bell. Let’s think about what kind of life you want to have once.
[2. Do you prefer a large group or a small group?]
We explained the advantages and disadvantages are different depending on the number of residents in a sharehouse. This could be stressful depending on your character and lifestyle, so please consider your preferences about the size/scale of a sharehouse. People who are outgoing tend to choose a large-scale sharehouse, while introverts or those who like to be alone often prefer a mid/small- scale sharehouse.
[3. Is a management company hones and trustworthy?]
Of course, the location and facilities of a sharehouse are important, but also, a management company of the sharehouse is key. You go talk to the management company when trouble occurs. Your stress will not be relieved if their response and action are inappropriate. Please see if they can clearly answer your questions when you make an inquiry or visit.
Summary: Let’s think about a sharehouse that suits you based on the advantages and disadvantages of sharehouses
In this article, we explained the advantages and disadvantages of each type of a sharehouse.
The general advantages and disadvantages are as follows.
[Advantages]
・Rent is lower than the market price
・Saving the initial cost at around ¥100,000 because you don’t need to pay deposit and key money
・Starting a new life immediately since most sharehouses are already furnished
・Using a spacious living room with a full range of facilities
・Leaving some of the housework, such as cleaning
・Expanding friendship since everyone in a sharehouse meets each other for the first time
[Disadvantages]
・You might be bothered by the sounds of other residents
・Minding what you wear all the time
・The ratio of men to women is not always equal
・You don’t always get along with other residents
・Stress caused by daily life and relationship with other residents might end up in trouble
Also, based on the above, it would be easier to find a sharehouse that suits you if you know how to choose the right sharehouse.
- Your ideal lifestyle and conditions
- Large-scale or mid/small-scale
- Management company’s attitude and response
Please refer to this article and consider moving into a sharehouse.
As one of the disadvantages of sharehouses is trouble, but it’s actually limited to the most common cases. It will be no problem if you know how to deal with them, even if you feel nervous.
