Coliving: How Smart Access Powers Modern Shared Spaces

The concept of coliving has evolved from a niche housing solution to a global movement, reshaping how people experience urban living, community, and shared resources. Whether you’re in the heart of a bustling city or a peaceful countryside retreat, coliving spaces are redefining what modern housing looks like. They’re tackling urban challenges while offering a mix of practicality and in some cases luxury. 

But here’s the thing: as coliving grows, so does the need for smart, secure, and scalable access solutions. That’s where Tapkey comes in—making access management as seamless as the coliving lifestyle itself.

Coliving: A Growing Global Trend – And We’re Here for It

Coliving isn’t just for students or digital nomads any more. It’s attracting a diverse audience, from young professionals to seniors seeking community-driven environments. Urban density, rising housing costs, and shifting lifestyle values are driving the growth of coliving, making it an essential part of modern real estate development. 

In cities across the globe, wages have failed to keep pace with rising property prices, leaving millennials and Gen Z struggling to afford traditional housing options. According to the OECD, housing prices have increased by 30% on average across member countries over the past decade, while median incomes have risen by just 8% [1]. This affordability crisis, coupled with a growing desire for community and flexibility, is accelerating the shift toward coliving spaces. Coliving provides a cost-effective solution by offering shared amenities, fostering social connections, and reducing the financial burden of solo living. In cities like New York, London, and Berlin, coliving spaces are offering high-end amenities and optimising underutilised buildings.

But beyond creating community spaces, coliving operators face a critical operational challenge: how to manage access efficiently in buildings with high tenant turnover and shared spaces.

The Need for Smarter Access Solutions

In a typical coliving environment, multiple residents occupy the same building, sharing kitchens, coworking areas, gyms, and more. Traditional key systems no longer suffice – they’re inconvenient, insecure, and difficult to manage at scale. Operators need to provide seamless, secure entry to both private and communal spaces, ensuring that the right people have access at the right times.

This is where Tapkey Units excel. Our smart access solution streamlines the management of multitenant buildings by replacing physical keys with digital credentials. Through the Tapkey App, tenants can unlock doors with their smartphones or NFC-enabled devices, creating a frictionless entry experience that perfectly aligns with the fluid, communal nature of coliving spaces.

Tapkey Units: Built for Coliving

Our Tapkey Unit is designed to meet the unique demands of multitenant buildings, offering benefits that go beyond traditional access solutions:

Enhancing the Coliving Experience

Coliving is about creating vibrant communities, not just sharing a roof. And tech? It’s the secret sauce that makes it all work. Tapkey supports this vision by ensuring residents feel safe and connected, allowing operators to focus on what matters most – building an engaging, inclusive environment. Smart access isn’t just a cool feature – it’s essential for keeping shared spaces secure, flexible, and easy to manage.

[1] OECD, “Affordable Housing Database”, 2025.