# Why this long-term renter has called co-living home for four years — and counting - **Source:** EdgeProp Singapore - **Published:** 2026-08-26T07:10:26.000Z - **Author:** Fiona Lam - **Original:** https://www.edgeprop.sg/property-news/why-long-term-renter-has-called-co-living-home-four-years--and-counting - **Topics:** Private Residential ## Featured rationale Her continued preference for bundled amenities, flexible leases and managed services signals potential long-term demand for premium co-living among renters prioritising convenience over homeownership. ## AI summary A Singapore PR remained in Coliwoo co-living for over four years and now pays around $3,500 monthly at Coliwoo Midtown with her husband. ## Original article [object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object] When April moved into a co-living apartment in Balestier in early 2022, she expected to stay for only a short period. More than four years later, she is still a co-living resident, albeit at a different property, and has no intention of leaving anytime soon. "I came in thinking it was a short-term thing because I still needed to figure out my next move," says April, a Malaysian in her 30s who is now a Singapore permanent resident. "But once I settled in, I just felt how much easier life is with everything being handled." Her extended stay is somewhat at odds with the common perception of co-living as transitional accommodation. Over those four years, April's circumstances have changed too. She went from having a place to herself to living with her husband. What she wants from a home and what she is willing to spend on it are also different today. What years of renting taught her April came to Singapore from East Malaysia in 2015 as a university student, and has been renting ever since. She started working in 2018 and is now in the banking and finance sector. Her husband, who is from the same hometown in East Malaysia, works in the F&B industry. Before trying co-living, April had rented several types of accommodation in Singapore. These included a common room in a landlord-occupied HDB flat, a room in a landed house and an entire one-bedroom condo unit. Some of her earlier rentals came with fairly strict house rules. At the HDB flat in Clementi, where she lived for around two years while studying, the landlord restricted how often and when tenants could use certain household appliances. She was allowed to turn on the air-conditioning only from 8pm to 6am, while use of the washing machine was limited to twice a week. "I don't really know how they monitored it. But I didn't disobey the rules, so I’m not sure what the consequences would have been," she recalls with a laugh. Those years of renting have also helped April figure out what she prioritises in a home. Hygiene tops the list, followed by comfort, space, location and price. So particular is she about hygiene that a bathroom's condition can be a deal-breaker. A grimy or rundown bathroom would be enough to rule out even a spacious, well-located unit at an attractive rent. "If the toilet is too dirty or too old, I wouldn't be comfortable living there," she says. Her housing budget increased after she graduated and began earning a full-time income. As a student, she had paid about $800 a month, including utilities, for the Clementi common room. Later, the one-bedroom apartment in Tanjong Pagar cost around $1,800 to $2,000 a month, excluding utilities and WiFi. "Life is short," she says. “Once I could afford it, I thought, why not spend a little more on a bigger space for myself?" More privacy than expected with co-living While browsing online for rentals closer to her workplace in the CBD, April stumbled upon room listings by Coliwoo, a Singapore-based co-living operator. She eventually viewed the firm's Balestier property and moved there in early 2022. At the time, she had reservations about the concept. "My first thought when I heard of the 'co-living' term was that I would need to share everything with other tenants,” she says. Instead, April realised that she could still have a personal space of her own. Despite its compact size, her Balestier unit — a Standard Murphy Queen studio — came with an attached bathroom, kitchenette and washer-dryer. "Everything essential was there, it was all mine, it was entirely private, and I could have my own space," she notes. "At the same time, there were also common areas like the lounge, so I could still have social interaction with others if I wanted." Having a washing machine to herself was especially welcome, as she had seen fellow tenants at her previous rentals put soiled shoes and bags into a communal washer-dryer. "I've seen those disturbing scenarios. That's why I don't like to share laundry facilities, and I’m very particular about hygiene," she adds. Once she saw the Balestier unit in person, April felt it was the perfect fit for her needs at the time and immediately rented it. Flexibility was another reason she decided to try co-living. In 2022, she was concerned about job security in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and was reluctant to lock herself into another year-long private rental. With co-living at Balestier, the minimum lease available to her was three months, with more flexible rental terms if her circumstances changed. "That gave me a real peace of mind in case of any change in my plans or job situation, as there was a lot of uncertainty then," she says. Weighing value and convenience Going by rent alone, co-living was the more expensive option for April. She estimates that when she moved to Balestier, her co-living monthly rent was a few hundred dollars higher than what she had paid for the Tanjong Pagar one-bedroom condo. "If I compare them purely based on cost, co-living has a bit of a downside, as it’s more expensive than private rentals," she acknowledges. "But in terms of value [for money], if I factor in things like the amenities and convenience, the difference balances out." The co-living rate included full access to the in-house gym — saving April the cost of a separate membership at a centrally located gym, which she notes can be pricey. Utilities, WiFi, weekly housekeeping and air-conditioning maintenance were bundled in too. She also does not have to arrange for repairs herself. When the air-conditioning in the unit leaked, the problem was fixed within half a day of April notifying the staff. "It saves me from the headaches that come with many traditional rentals. Especially after a long day at work, the last thing I want is to deal with some maintenance issue," she says. Having spent four years at the Balestier property, April and her husband moved to the recently opened Coliwoo Midtown in Bugis earlier this year. Its location, closer to the CBD than their previous home, was one of the draws. Situated on Middle Road, the property is two MRT stops from her office and close enough that she often walks home after work. "So that’s a bit of exercise as well," April says, adding with a laugh that the regular walks have even helped her lose some weight. The couple also likes the proximity to a temple they visit, as well as the variety of eateries in the vicinity. That said, given the myriad tourist spots in and around Bugis, April points out that the area can get crowded at times, particularly on weekends. Meanwhile, wellness is a key focus at Coliwoo Midtown, which has a fully equipped gym, ice bath facility and sauna booth. Residents can sign up for complimentary guided fitness sessions such as strength training and body-conditioning classes. April regularly uses these and other shared amenities at the property, which she factors into the value of the monthly rent of around $3,500. Making a small space work for two April began her rental journey on her own. Her husband later joined her during her years at the Balestier property, and the couple now live together at Coliwoo Midtown in a Premier Chamber unit. Their room is part of a triple-key setup, where three adjoining units share a kitchenette just inside a common entrance. This means the couple shares the kitchen area with the occupants of only two neighbouring units, while retaining their own private living space. Having ready access to a kitchen is important to April, who cooks around five times a week. Beyond their day-to-day needs, living together in a compact apartment has required some adjustments to make room for their individual interests. They have each carved out space for their hobbies: April does her Chinese embroidery, clay moulding and other DIY crafts on the bed, while the desk serves as her husband's gaming corner. Their personalities influence how they use the common areas in the development too. April describes her husband as an introvert who prefers a quieter environment, while she is more outgoing and inclined to socialise with other residents. Their cosy room offers a retreat when they want time to themselves. April, on the other hand, is more active in the communal side of co-living. She attends parties where residents from different Coliwoo properties gather, uses the on-site gym frequently and takes part in their fitness classes. Her husband also joins her for such activities on occasion. These have given April ample opportunities to make new friends and meet people from different walks of life — including students, working professionals, business travellers and families with young children, both local and foreign. "If I'm living in a private apartment, I would hardly see the neighbours," she says. "Here, we can get to know the other tenants, even from the rest of the co-living properties." Choosing co-living again When it came time to move on from Balestier Road earlier this year, co-living had already lasted far longer than the short-term stay April had initially expected. Instead of returning to the conventional rental market, she chose co-living again and moved to the Middle Road property. Part of that decision came down to her experience over the last few years. She appreciated the amenities, balance of community and privacy, and having the everyday practicalities taken care of. For now, the arrangement continues to suit the couple. "There's no strong reason for me to leave because this is suitable for my current life stage," April says. Nonetheless, she recognises that her housing needs may well change in the future. "Life sometimes may shift, whether it be a career move or my personal milestones, or if I just want to try something new down the road." A different idea of home Her idea of what makes a home has changed since she first tried co-living. Before, she pictured home as a property that she owned, where she would have the entire apartment to herself and the freedom to furnish it as she wished. "But I've come to realise that what matters to me today is a space that's comfortable, functional and stress-free," she shares. "I don't actually need to equate homeownership with quality of life." At the moment, April and her husband see greater financial sense in continuing to rent than committing to a home purchase in Singapore. They plan to remain in co-living for the foreseeable future. That does not mean buying a property is permanently off the table — whether in Singapore or, if the couple eventually has children, back in Malaysia. Future career moves, plans to start a family or other major life changes could prompt the couple to reassess how and where they live. "Different life stages will bring different priorities," she says. For now, those priorities are perhaps most apparent at the end of a demanding work day. After long hours of back-to-back meetings, April values being able to come home to a quiet space without the added stress of chores and other responsibilities demanding her attention. It allows her to wind down and decompress before bed. She says: "It's really heaven to me." Property Diaries is a new series that goes behind the scenes of real estate transactions, featuring homebuyers, investors and renters sharing their search journeys, decisions and lessons learnt. ## Chinese translation > Translation model: openai_codex_cli ### 为什么这位长期租客把共居空间当作家已四年，而且还会继续住下去 对新加坡永久居民 April 来说，与丈夫同住在温馨的共居公寓、结交新朋友，以及减少日常琐事，让生活如同“天堂”。 [object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object] 当 April 于 2022 年初搬进位于 Balestier 的一间共居公寓时，她原本预计只会短住一段时间。 四年多后，她仍然是共居住户，尽管已换到另一处物业，并且没有打算很快搬离。 “我一开始以为这只是短期安排，因为我还需要弄清楚下一步怎么走，”April 说。她是一名 30 多岁的马来西亚人，如今已是新加坡永久居民。 “但一旦安顿下来，我就感受到所有事情都有人处理，生活变得轻松很多。” 她的长期居住，在某种程度上与人们普遍认为共居只是过渡性住宿的看法并不一致。 在这四年里，April 的生活状况也发生了变化。她从独自拥有一个住处，变成与丈夫同住。她对家的期望，以及愿意为此花费的金额，如今也有所不同。 多年租房教会她的事 April 于 2015 年从东马来西亚来到新加坡，当时是一名大学生，此后一直租房居住。 她于 2018 年开始工作，目前在银行与金融业任职。她的丈夫来自东马来西亚同一个家乡，在餐饮业工作。 在尝试共居之前，April 曾在新加坡租住过几种不同类型的住所。 这些包括屋主自住 HDB 组屋里的普通房、 landed house 里的一间房，以及一整套一居室公寓单位。 她早期的一些租房附带相当严格的屋规。在 Clementi 的那套 HDB 组屋里，她求学期间在那里住了约两年，屋主限制租客使用某些家用电器的频率和时间。 她只能在晚上 8 点至早上 6 点之间开空调，而洗衣机每周只能使用两次。 “我其实不知道他们是怎么监控的。但我没有违反规定，所以也不确定后果会是什么，”她笑着回忆道。 这些年的租房经历，也帮助 April 明确了她在一个家中最看重什么。 卫生排在首位，其次是舒适度、空间、地点和价格。 她对卫生如此讲究，以至于浴室的状况可能成为决定性因素。即使一个单位空间宽敞、地点优越、租金有吸引力，只要浴室肮脏或破旧，就足以让她排除在外。 “如果厕所太脏或太旧，我住在那里会不舒服，”她说。 毕业并开始获得全职收入后，她的住房预算有所提高。 学生时期，她为 Clementi 的普通房每月支付约新币 800 元，包括水电费。后来，Tanjong Pagar 的一居室公寓每月费用约为新币 1,800 元至新币 2,000 元，不包括水电费和 WiFi。 “人生苦短，”她说。“一旦我负担得起，我就想，为什么不多花一点钱，给自己一个更大的空间呢？” 共居带来的私密性超出预期 April 在网上浏览更靠近 CBD 工作地点的租房信息时，偶然看到新加坡共居运营商 Coliwoo 的房源。 她最终看了该公司位于 Balestier 的物业，并于 2022 年初搬了进去。 当时，她对这个概念有所保留。“我第一次听到‘共居’这个词时，第一反应是我需要和其他租客共享所有东西，”她说。 但 April 后来意识到，她仍然可以拥有属于自己的私人空间。尽管面积紧凑，她在 Balestier 的单位，一间 Standard Murphy Queen studio，配有套内浴室、小厨房和洗衣烘干机。 “所有必需的东西都有，而且都是我的，完全私密，我可以拥有自己的空间，”她指出。 “与此同时，也有休息室等公共区域，所以如果我愿意，仍然可以和其他人社交互动。” 拥有自己专用的洗衣机尤其让她满意，因为她曾在之前的租房中看到其他租客把弄脏的鞋和包放进共用洗衣烘干机。 “我见过那些令人不安的情况。所以我不喜欢共用洗衣设施，而且我对卫生非常讲究，”她补充道。 亲自看过 Balestier 的单位后，April 觉得它完全符合她当时的需求，于是立即租了下来。 灵活性是她决定尝试共居的另一个原因。2022 年，在 Covid-19 疫情后的环境下，她担心工作稳定性，也不愿再把自己绑定在另一份为期一年的私人租约上。 在 Balestier 的共居安排中，她可选择的最低租期为三个月；如果情况发生变化，租赁条款也更灵活。 “那让我真正安心，因为当时有很多不确定性，如果我的计划或工作情况发生任何变化，也有余地，”她说。 权衡价值与便利 单看租金，共居对 April 来说是较昂贵的选择。 她估计，当她搬到 Balestier 时，共居的月租比她之前为 Tanjong Pagar 一居室公寓支付的租金高出几百元。 “如果我纯粹按成本比较，共居确实有一点劣势，因为它比私人租房更贵，”她承认。 “但从性价比来看，如果把设施和便利等因素考虑进去，差距就平衡了。” 共居费用包括使用内部健身房的全部权限，这让 April 省下了在市中心地段健身房另办会员的费用；她指出，那类会员可能相当昂贵。水电费、WiFi、每周清洁和空调维护也都包含在内。 她也不需要自己安排维修。当单位里的空调漏水时，April 通知工作人员后，问题在半天内就修好了。 “这让我免去了许多传统租房会带来的头疼事。尤其是在工作了一整天之后，我最不想做的就是处理什么维修问题，”她说。 在 Balestier 物业住了四年后，April 和丈夫于今年早些时候搬到最近开业的 Bugis 的 Coliwoo Midtown。该物业较之前的住所更靠近 CBD，是吸引他们的因素之一。 该物业位于 Middle Road，距离她的办公室只有两个 MRT 站，她下班后经常步行回家。 “所以那也算是一点运动，”April 说，并笑着补充，定期步行甚至帮助她减了一些体重。 这对夫妇也喜欢附近有他们会去的寺庙，以及周边种类丰富的餐饮选择。 不过，鉴于 Bugis 及其周边有众多旅游景点，April 指出该地区有时会很拥挤，尤其是在周末。 与此同时，健康养生是 Coliwoo Midtown 的一个重点，该物业配备设备齐全的健身房、冰浴设施和桑拿房。住户可以报名参加免费的指导式健身课程，例如力量训练和身体调适课程。 April 经常使用这些以及物业内的其他共享设施，并将其纳入每月约新币 3,500 元租金的价值考量之中。 让小空间适合两人生活 April 最初是独自开始租房旅程。后来，在她住在 Balestier 物业期间，丈夫加入了她；如今，这对夫妇一起住在 Coliwoo Midtown 的一个 Premier Chamber 单位。 他们的房间属于 triple-key 格局的一部分，即三个相邻单位在一个公共入口内共用一个小厨房。 这意味着这对夫妇只与另外两个相邻单位的住户共用厨房区域，同时保留自己的私人生活空间。 对 April 来说，方便使用厨房很重要，因为她每周大约做饭五次。 除了日常需求外，两人在紧凑公寓里共同生活，也需要作出一些调整，以便为各自的兴趣爱好腾出空间。 他们各自划出了爱好空间：April 在床上做中国刺绣、黏土塑形和其他 DIY 手工，而书桌则作为她丈夫的游戏角落。 他们的个性也影响着他们如何使用项目内的公共区域。 April 形容她的丈夫是内向型人格，更喜欢安静的环境，而她则更外向，也更愿意与其他住户社交。 当他们想拥有独处时间时，温馨的房间为他们提供了一个休憩之所。 另一方面，April 更积极参与共居的公共生活。 她参加来自不同 Coliwoo 物业的住户聚会，经常使用现场健身房，并参与他们的健身课程。她的丈夫有时也会陪她参加这些活动。 这些为 April 提供了大量结交新朋友、认识来自不同背景人士的机会，包括本地和外国的学生、在职专业人士、商务旅客以及有幼儿的家庭。 “如果我住在私人公寓里，我几乎不会见到邻居，”她说。 “在这里，我们可以认识其他租客，甚至包括其他共居物业的住户。” 再次选择共居 今年早些时候，当到了从 Balestier Road 搬离的时候，共居已经远远超过 April 最初预期的短期居住时间。 她没有回到传统租赁市场，而是再次选择共居，并搬到 Middle Road 的物业。 这一决定部分源于她过去几年的体验。她欣赏这里的设施、社区与私密性的平衡，以及日常实际事务都有人打理。 目前，这一安排继续适合这对夫妇。 “我没有很强烈的理由离开，因为这适合我目前的人生阶段，”April 说。 尽管如此，她也认识到，未来她的住房需求很可能会改变。 “生活有时可能会转变，无论是职业变动、个人里程碑，还是如果我以后只是想尝试一些新东西。” 对家的不同理解 自从第一次尝试共居以来，她对什么构成一个家的想法已经改变。 以前，她想象中的家是自己拥有的物业，在那里她可以独享整套公寓，并可以按自己的意愿布置。 “但我已经意识到，对今天的我来说，重要的是一个舒适、实用且无压力的空间，”她分享道。 “我其实不需要把置业与生活质量等同起来。” 目前，April 和丈夫认为，继续租房比在新加坡承诺购房更具财务意义。他们计划在可预见的未来继续住在共居空间。 这并不意味着买房被永久排除在外，无论是在新加坡，还是如果这对夫妇最终有了孩子后回到马来西亚。 未来的职业变动、组建家庭的计划或其他重大生活变化，都可能促使这对夫妇重新评估他们如何生活以及在哪里生活。 “不同的人生阶段会带来不同的优先事项，”她说。 就目前而言，这些优先事项或许在一个繁忙工作日结束时最为明显。 在连续开会、长时间工作之后，April 重视能够回到一个安静的空间，而无需承受家务和其他责任争夺她注意力所带来的额外压力。这让她可以在睡前放松并减压。 她说：“这对我来说真的就是天堂。” Property Diaries 是一个新系列，走进房地产交易幕后，由购房者、投资者和租客分享他们的寻找过程、决策和经验教训。