Co-living is a modern style of residential housing where multiple individuals rent private, self-contained rooms within a single property while sharing certain communal spaces.
Each resident enjoys their own bedroom, bathroom, and often their own living area, with access to shared facilities such as kitchens, laundry rooms, and outdoor areas.
Think of it as an evolution of the traditional share house — but purpose-built for privacy, comfort, and convenience. Unlike a standard share house where tenants compete for bathroom time or fridge space, a well-designed co-living property gives every resident the dignity of their own private quarters within a professionally managed home.
How Does Co-Living Work in Australia?
In Australia, co-living properties are typically registered as rooming houses (or boarding houses depending on the state). These are residential dwellings where rooms are rented individually to separate tenants under individual lease agreements, rather than the entire property being let on a single tenancy agreement.
Each state and territory has its own regulations governing rooming houses, covering matters such as registration requirements, minimum room sizes, fire safety standards, and tenant rights. In Victoria, for example, rooming houses must be registered with the local council and comply with the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 and the Rooming House Standards.
What makes purpose-built co-living different from a converted older property is the quality of design. Purpose-built properties are architecturally planned from the ground up with co-living in mind — ensuring each room meets or exceeds minimum standards, common areas are functional and appealing, and the overall layout supports comfortable shared living for all residents.
The NextGen Approach to Co-Living
At Co-Living NextGen, we specialise in purpose-built co-living properties designed to deliver exceptional returns for investors while providing high-quality accommodation for residents.
Our NextGen range offers three standardised property configurations — each engineered for optimal room-by-room rental yield.
Every bedroom comes with its own dedicated living area, ensuite bathroom, study, courtyard and split system for heating and cooling — giving residents genuine privacy and independence within a shared home. This level of amenity is what separates NextGen properties from converted houses or poorly planned share homes.
Our properties are offered as house and land packages in carefully selected growth suburbs, meaning investors receive a brand-new, compliant, purpose-built asset with known construction costs and a clear picture of expected returns before committing.
Is Co-Living Right for You?
Whether you are a first-time investor looking for a strong-yielding entry point into property, or an experienced portfolio holder seeking to improve your overall return, co-living deserves serious consideration.
The combination of higher gross yields, diversified tenant income, strong demand fundamentals, and a growing regulatory framework that supports quality shared accommodation makes co-living one of the smartest strategies available in Australian residential property today.
If you are interested in learning more about how co-living investment works, or want to explore the NextGen range of purpose-built co-living properties, get in touch with our team.