Coliving vs shared flat: which one suits you in Prague?

Finding flatmates and signing the contract

A flatshare in Prague usually starts with a search: adverts, a room in an existing flat or a group of friends. Often one main tenant signs with the landlord and the others pay them; sometimes everyone signs jointly. Either way, your home depends partly on other people's plans.

At Rezidence Kandertova you apply yourself and sign your own lease online, directly with the operator – not a sublet from a flatmate. A single studio means no flatmate; for a twin you bring a friend or we match you (same gender by default), and you meet before you sign.

Utilities, deposits and furnishing

In a typical flat the rent comes with monthly advances for services and energy, then a year-end settlement that can bring an extra bill, split between whoever lives there at the time. The internet contract is often in one person's name, a deposit and sometimes an agency commission are due at the start, and furnishing ranges from complete to almost nothing.

At Kandertova one monthly price in euro covers water, heating, electricity, waste and fibre internet up to 2 Gb/s, for normal residential use – no year-end settlement, no admin, service or commission fee. The deposit is €1,000 per twin place or single studio, €200 of it paid as the reservation, refunded within 30 days after you move out. Each resident gets a bed and mattress, desk and chair; the studio has a fitted kitchen with appliances and built-in wardrobes. Bring bedding.

Privacy, kitchen and bathroom

A flatshare gives you your own room, but the kitchen, fridge and usually the bathroom are shared with the whole flat. That can be sociable – or mean morning queues and a cleaning rota only some people follow.

In a Kandertova studio the kitchenette (hob, fridge, sink, extractor hood) and the bathroom with rain shower are used by you, or by you and one flatmate in a twin. The laundry room, storage room with lockable boxes and lift are shared by the house.

What can go wrong in a classic flatshare

Many flatshares work well for years. These are the problems people most often meet:

• A flatmate moves out mid-year and the others cover their rent until someone new is found
• The year-end settlement arrives with an extra payment and nobody agrees who owes what
• The main tenant gives notice and everyone has to leave
• Subletting rooms without the landlord's consent causes trouble
• The deposit is held for the whole flat and is hard to split when one person leaves

Coliving vs shared flat: side by side

The flatshare side is a general picture – every flat is different.

• Contract – flatshare: often one main tenant · Kandertova: your own lease, signed online
• Bills – flatshare: advances plus a year-end settlement, split · Kandertova: all in one price
• Kitchen and bathroom – flatshare: shared by the whole flat · Kandertova: private, or shared by two
• Flatmates – flatshare: you find them · Kandertova: none (single), or a friend or matched flatmate (twin)
• Length – flatshare: depends on the lease · Kandertova: from 6 months, extension possible
• Common areas – flatshare: the flat's living room · Kandertova: lounge, workspace, yoga studio and PlayStation area in preparation

When a flatshare is the better choice

If you already have a group of friends, want a big shared living room, need less than six months or want the lowest price per person, a flatshare may suit you better. If you want your own contract, a fixed monthly amount and a kitchen and bathroom you don't share with a whole flat, studio-based co-living is worth a look.

Frequently asked questions