“What is the difference between a sharehouse and living together with my partner in a regular apartment?”
You might be one of many thinking like this.
There are many differences, such as a type contract and initial cost, between a sharehouse and living together with my partner in a regular apartment. Also, first of all, other people you live with are not limited to couples, and relationship with them differs.
A couple that struggles with finding a place to move/live in can find out what kind of way of living is suitable for them by understanding each difference.
So, we explain the following in this article.
・Three differences between a sharehouse and living together with my partner in a regular apartment
・The difference from room-sharing
・The characteristics of people who are suitable for a sharehouse and people who are suitable for living in a regular apartment
You may think, “It could bother others if I live with my partner in a sharehouse.,” but just knowing the difference won’t be a problem.
Please refer to this article, and let’s start having a conversation with your partner about a place to move in and live!
There are mainly three differences between a sharehouse and living together with my partner in a regular apartment.
- Relationship with other residents you live with
- Type of contract
- Price for the initial cost and rent
Let’s take a look one by one.
#1. Relationship with other residents you live with
The first is a relationship with other residents you live with.
In many cases, living with a partner in a regular apartment would mean a couple going to get married. On the contrary, living in a sharehouse means that you will meet people who you have never met for the first time and develop a new relationship with them.
Also, the number of residents is different. Living with a partner means two people, you and your partner, but the average number of residents in a sharehouse is 3~7. A large-scale sharehouse can even hold more than 100 residents.
Living with a partner means a couple that has known each other for a long time become more intimate and close, and a sharehouse is an image of expanding your friendships with many people you meet for the first time.
#2. Type of contract
The second is a type of contract.
A sharehouse and living together with your partner in a regular apartment are different in terms of contract type like below.
・Sharehouse: Everyone makes a contract as a representative
・Regular apartment: Only one person makes a contract as a representative, and the other declares as a roommate
The reason why a type of contract differs is the relationship between the residents is different.
We said that living together with a partner means a couple, and a sharehouse means living with people you meet for the first time. In many cases, a couple living together works on household management together, but each person has his/her own responsibility for household management in a sharehouse.
In other words, it’s not necessary to help each other for household management since the source of payment is different. Thus, in a sharehouse, each person makes a contract as a representative and has his/her own responsibility.
However, in the case of living together with a partner in a regular apartment, each person can make a contract as a representative by choosing ‘a joint contract’.
#3. Price for the initial cost and rent
The third is a price for the initial cost and rent.
The initial cost for a sharehouse is cheap, so it’s easy to save the cost compared to living with a partner in a regular apartment.
Let’s see how much it actually costs.
・Regular apartment: ¥400,000~¥600,000 (¥200,000~¥300,000 per person)
・Sharehouse: ¥80,000~¥150,000
In a sharehouse, you don’t need to buy furniture and home appliances. This will reduce the initial cost by ¥100,000~¥200,000, and often stays within ¥100,000.
Compare the differences of living with a partner and a sharehouse with room-sharing
Next, let’s compare living with a partner and a sharehouse with room-sharing.
[The difference between a sharehouse and room-sharing]
- Existence of a management company
- The number of people you live with and your relationship with them
- Price for the initial cost
A management company operates a sharehouse, but room-sharing is often with friends so that a management company doesn’t get involved.
You can also make new friends since you live with people you meet for the first time in a sharehouse.
[The difference between room-sharing and living with a partner]
- Type of contract
- Tenancy period
- Difficulty in finding a property
Room-sharing and living with a partner are the same in that you live in a regular apartment, but it’s said that it’s difficult to find a property in room-sharing compared to living with a partner. Room-sharing with friends has an image of being a source for trouble, so a landlord and real estate company tend to avoid it.
So far, we explain the difference between room-sharing and living with a partner, but you may be wondering which one you should live in.
In next, we introduce the characteristics of a couple that is suitable for each way of living.
A couple suitable for living together in a regular apartment
For example, a couple suitable for living together in a regular apartment is:
・Getting married soon and wanting to live in the same place after marriage
・Wanting to live in a place as spacious as possible.
Living with a couple means two people live together in a regular apartment, so there is no one who interferes or who you need to take care of.
Also, if you are going to get married soon and want to live in the same place, living together in a regular apartment can save you the trouble of moving.
A couple suitable for a sharehouse
A couple suitable for living together in a regular apartment is:
・Wanting to expand friendships and make more common friends to avoid depending on each other
・Wanting to save some money for events, such as a wedding and honeymoon, by cutting the cost for the initial cost and rent
・Wanting to keep decent distance by renting a private room for each
In a sharehouse, not only you can expand your friendship, but also you can talk with common friends about problems. Also, there are couples that want to get ready for a wedding by saving the living cost.
This is a rare case, but there are some couples that want to rent a private room for each to keep a decent distance.
Although each room is separated, it’s possible to see each other soon since they live in the same house. Also, they can calm down in their own private room after a fight, and as a result, a relationship might get better sometimes.
Special attention: Room-sharing is not possible in an apartment saying ‘Available for two people’!
So far, we have talked about a sharehouse and living with a partner. However, in the case of living with a partner, please be careful about a property saying ‘available for two people.’
The reasons are:
・Room-sharing with wife/husband or brothers/sisters is ok, but in many cases, with friends or a partner is not allowed
・An apartment available for two people means two people live in one room, you might feel cramped
In many cases, a couple is not allowed to move in. So, to avoid spending too much time to find a property, we recommend you to remove those apartments from the list.
Summary: Let’s find a suitable way of living by understanding the difference between a sharehouse and living with a partner in a regular apartment
We explained the difference between a sharehouse and living with a partner in a regular apartment in this article.
To sum up, there are three differences between them.
- Relationship with other residents you live with
- Type of contract
- Price for the initial cost and rent
Also, we talked about the characteristic of a couple that is suitable for each way of living.
[A couple suitable for living together in a regular apartment]
・Wanting to secure a time to spend with a partner
・Wanting to live in the same place after marriage
・Wanting to live in a place as spacious as possible.
[A couple suitable for a sharehouse]
・Wanting to expand friendships and make common friends to avoid depending on each other
・Wanting to save some money for events, such as a wedding and honeymoon
・Wanting to keep a decent distance
A sharehouse is recommended for a couple that wants to save some money for a wedding, and expand friendships while keeping a decent relationship with a partner.
