Investing in coliving means putting capital into a property or business that rents private rooms with shared common areas, and its result depends on occupancy and on the cost of running it.
It's a housing model with day-to-day operations. Residents pay for a room and for the services of the place, and a team keeps everything working. That makes it closer to a business than to a rental.
What a coliving is
Before investing in coliving, it helps to understand what a resident is really buying: a space of their own, areas to share and very little hassle.
A private room
Each resident has their own room, often with a private bathroom and already furnished.
Common areas
The kitchen, living room, work areas or laundry are shared among the people who live there.
One monthly payment
It usually covers utilities, internet and cleaning of the common areas, on contracts measured in months rather than years.
Community
Part of what people pay for is living alongside others. Many colivings have someone dedicated to organizing that shared life.
How it differs from a traditional rental and a short-term rental
All three make a living from a property, but they charge and operate differently. A short-term rental sells nights, a traditional rental sells years and coliving sits between the two.
| Aspect | Coliving | Traditional rental | Short-term rental |
|---|---|---|---|
| What's rented | A room with common areas | A whole home | A home or room by the night |
| Typical length | Months | A year or more | Nights or weeks |
| How it's charged | Monthly payment with services included | Monthly rent, utilities separate | Nightly rate |
| Who furnishes it | The operator | Usually the tenant | The owner or operator |
| Management | Ongoing: residents, community and maintenance | Low, one tenant at a time | Very high: bookings, pricing and cleaning |
| What moves the result most | Occupied rooms and turnover | Late payment and months without a tenant | Occupancy and seasonal rates |
This is a general comparison. Each property and contract can work differently.
To see the neighboring model in detail, here's how a short-term rental makes money.
How it earns and what it costs
Dividing a property into rooms can bring in more than renting it whole, but it also takes more cost and more work.
Its income usually comes from these sources.
Rooms
The main source. It depends on occupancy, on the price and on how long a room sits empty between one resident and the next.
Memberships
Some charge a monthly fee for access to the community and its services, sometimes also for people who don't live there.
Shared spaces
Work or event areas can be rented out by the hour or the day to people from outside.
And these are its most common costs.
The operator
Usually charges a management fee, often a percentage of income, in exchange for running the day-to-day.
Common areas
Cleaning, maintenance, utilities and internet. Many of these cost the same even when few rooms are occupied.
Furnishing
The initial fit-out is a large investment, and with constant use the furniture and equipment need replacing.
Community management
Someone welcomes residents, resolves conflicts and organizes shared life. It's a real payroll or service cost.
A worked example with 12 rooms
A made-up example: a 12-room coliving charges 1,500,000 pesos a month per room, with services included. Each resident also pays a 100,000 peso membership, and renting out the common areas brings in 400,000 pesos a month.
| Monthly income, in pesos | 6 rooms (50%) | 9 rooms (75%) | 11 rooms (92%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms | 9,000,000 | 13,500,000 | 16,500,000 |
| Memberships and shared spaces | 1,000,000 | 1,300,000 | 1,500,000 |
| Total income | 10,000,000 | 14,800,000 | 18,000,000 |
| Monthly result, in pesos | 6 rooms (50%) | 9 rooms (75%) | 11 rooms (92%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total income | 10,000,000 | 14,800,000 | 18,000,000 |
| Utilities and internet | −1,500,000 | −1,950,000 | −2,250,000 |
| Cleaning and maintenance | −1,800,000 | −1,800,000 | −1,800,000 |
| Community management | −1,500,000 | −1,500,000 | −1,500,000 |
| Administration, insurance and property tax | −1,200,000 | −1,200,000 | −1,200,000 |
| Operator (10% of income) | −1,000,000 | −1,480,000 | −1,800,000 |
| Furniture replacement | −600,000 | −600,000 | −600,000 |
| Result before taxes | 2,400,000 | 6,270,000 | 8,850,000 |
A simplified calculation: it leaves out income tax, debt, the initial investment and the months a room stays empty between residents.
In this example, each additional occupied room adds 1,290,000 pesos to the result, because many costs don't change. It also works in reverse: with 4 occupied rooms the result would be −180,000 pesos, and with 5 it would be 1,110,000. The point where costs start being covered is the break-even point.
To understand what that result means against the money invested, it helps to calculate the return of the whole project.
The risks of investing in coliving
Income depends on the rooms filling up and on the operator doing its job well.
Occupancy and turnover
Contracts are short, so residents leave more often. Every empty room hits the result right away.
Costs that don't fall
Common areas and staff cost almost the same with few rooms occupied, which can turn a bad month negative.
The operator
If the operator fails, leaves or changes its terms, the business can quickly lose income and reputation.
Shared living and wear
Conflicts between residents drive others away, and heavy use wears out furniture and equipment faster.
The rules
A change in land-use, condominium or tourism rules can limit how a property operates.
Liquidity
A property or a stake in a project can take time to sell, and the final result depends on how the project performs.
Who runs a coliving in Colombia and what to check
Coliving in Colombia is a day-to-day business, so who runs it matters as much as the property. That's why it's worth understanding what a project operator does.
A specialized operator
A company handles residents, community and maintenance for a fee. Check its track record and what reports it provides.
The owner
This saves the operator's fee, but the owner takes on the daily work and needs to know how to manage a community.
Leasing to an operator
The owner hands the whole property to an operator for an agreed rent. The owner's income then depends on that operator being able to pay.
The contract
It sets terms, charges, what happens if the operator misses its targets and how the relationship ends.
A coliving usually relies on rules that already exist, and which ones apply depends on how it operates. It's worth checking the land use allowed by the municipality's zoning plan and, if the property is in a condominium, what its bylaws say (Law 675 of 2001). To take in tourists, those bylaws must expressly authorize tourist housing. In Medellín, the revision of the POT, the city's land-use plan, approved in November 2026 and awaiting the mayor's signature, concentrates that use in high mixed-use zones and near mass transit.
If the contracts are for housing, the urban rental regime applies (Law 820 of 2003). If it takes in guests for tourist stays, the National Tourism Registry comes into play.
Related questions
Short-term rental projects
Short-term rental is a model close to coliving. See what a real project's information looks like, with its risks. Results depend on how it performs.
Project in Construction
Project in Operation
Project in ExplorationCasa Lago
La Pintada, Colombia
This project is currently under study. We will notify you when it becomes available for participation.
Keep going
- How a short-term rental makes moneyThe neighboring model, explained with an example.
- Circular HousesA short-term rental project, with its full information.
- How to evaluate a projectThe key documents and questions before you invest.
Educational content. It is not financial, legal or tax advice, nor a public offering of securities. The figures in the examples are made up. Every investment carries risk and its results may vary.