How to choose a coliving space: eleven questions worth asking

Ask whether the operators live on site. A house run remotely and a house where someone is in the kitchen every morning are different products with the same photographs.

Then ask about length of stay. A place where the median stay is five nights is a hostel with good marketing. A place where people stay two months is a household.

Not the highlight reel — the ordinary day. If nobody can describe it, there probably is not one, and you will be assembling your own social life from scratch while also doing your job.

Every shared house has friction. The question is whether there is a way through it or whether it accumulates. A good answer is specific and slightly boring. A bad answer is "we just have really lovely people".

What exactly is included — heat, power, wifi, food, laundry? What is the internet actually like on a video call at 4pm? Is there somewhere to work that is not your bed? Can you see the specific room you will get, or only the best one? What is the minimum stay, and what happens if you need to leave early? Are dogs welcome, and whose? Is there anywhere to be completely alone?

Ask all of them. Anyone running a good house will be pleased you did.