Cork County council to encourage coliving for singles

Ireland: Cork County’s council will endorse coliving for singles in local authority houses after effective pilot schemes.

Instead of moving people off the waiting list into one-bedroom properties, the council will prioritise filling vacant three- and four-bedroom homes with like-minded people. It said that doing this is essential to moving singles off the waiting list and into homes.

However, the two pilot houses in Cobh were filled with ex-military personnel, meaning residents were already attuned to shared spaces. Charity group Organisation of Ex-Service Personnel helped to facilitate the scheme, with their local representative managing the houses with handpicked individuals.

“It has worked very well, and there are great advantages in doing this for the council and for the people involved,” councillor Ger Curley said. “Firstly, the council gets more single people into one house, rather than having to provide them with single units which are more expensive.”

But while the council has eased into the plan with former military, it should still be an attractive proposition for singles without extensive background in shared spaces. Coliving houses will endorse social behaviour and offer an opportunity to cut down on bills.

Highlights:

• Cork County Council plans to expand coliving arrangements for single people following successful pilots that placed ex-military personnel together in shared three- and four-bedroom council homes.
• The strategy prioritises filling larger vacant properties with multiple tenants rather than allocating more expensive one-bedroom units to individuals on housing waiting lists.
• The Organisation of Ex-Service Personnel facilitated the initial pilots, with a local representative managing the properties and selecting residents already accustomed to shared living.
• Councillor Ger Curley stated the arrangement benefits the council through reduced per-unit costs while residents save through shared bills.
• The council intends to extend the scheme to singles without military backgrounds, with coliving houses designed to promote social behaviour.