Co-Living Renter Preferences: What Public Surveys Show

Co-living renter preferences, as far as public surveys show, come down to price, location and clear fees. No large national survey asks only about people in shared homes, so this post uses two public sources about renters in general and tells you where they stop. Use them as context for your own research, not as a forecast. Returns are not guaranteed.

What public surveys can and cannot tell you about co-living renter preferences

Most housing surveys ask all renters the same questions. They do not separate out people who rent a room in a shared home. So the numbers below describe renters overall, and any link to co-living is your own judgment.

That is a limit worth stating up front. If you read a headline that says "renters want shared housing," look for the sample and the question. In the two sources used here, the findings are about budget, location, fees and cost burden.

One data point is about shared housing directly. In the Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2025, a room in shared housing accounts for under 1% of renters' home types. The report is based on six nationally representative surveys of renters fielded from March to July 2025. That tells you shared rooms are a small part of the rental market today. It does not tell you whether the share will rise or fall.

What renters say is essential

The same Zillow report asked renters which items are essential when deciding whether to rent. The share who called each one essential in 2025:

• Within my initial budget: 93%
• Preferred neighborhood or location: 81%
• Preferred number of bedrooms: 81%
• Preferred number of bathrooms: 69%
• Allows pets: 65%
• Broadband internet: 64%

Budget comes first by a wide margin. For an owner, the lesson is simple: price a room so a renter can see it fits their budget before they read anything else. Bedrooms and bathrooms matter too, so in a shared home say plainly what the renter gets and what is shared.

Internet matters too. In CoRent's renter cost example, internet is included in the renter's share of the house costs. Whether a given house includes it is up to the host, so ask what the listing says.

Cost pressure behind the numbers

Why does budget rank so high? The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard reports in its America's Rental Housing 2026 takeaways that cost-burdened renter households reached 22.7 million, or 49%, in 2024, a record high. It also reports that 12.1 million renters, or 26%, spent more than half their income on rent and utilities. From 2001 to 2024, renter incomes rose 9% in real terms while rents rose 30%.

Those figures describe the pressure on renters, not demand for any one housing type. They do help explain why a lower monthly cost matters. CoRent's renter page shows an example comparing a traditional rental at $2,020 a month, including utilities and internet, with a CoRent room at $730 a month. The page labels that an example, and your numbers will differ. Do not treat it as a guarantee for any house.

For owners, the takeaway is practical. A renter who is stretched by cost will compare total monthly cost, not just the rent line. Show utilities and any other costs clearly.

Fee clarity is a preference you can act on

The Zillow report also asked about fees. Of renters surveyed, 94% say listings should clearly list all fees, 90% say renters should be able to opt out of fees for services they do not use, and 76% say fees should be included in total rent rather than charged separately.

This is the part of the data an owner can act on today. CoRent's published terms line up with the clarity renters say they want. Signing up is free and there is no application fee. Each rent payment has a processing fee, and the exact fee is shown at checkout before the renter pays. When a renter pays a full month by bank account, the fee is waived. See the fees page for the full list.

For your own plan, ask: how will a renter see every cost before they apply? A house with plain, upfront costs is easier to compare and easier to trust.

What this means for your plan

Public data gives you a frame, not a forecast. Here is how to use it.

• Start with budget. Work out what a renter can afford, then see whether the house works at that rent. The room rental income calculator guide shows how to compare per-room numbers.
• Treat location as part of the product. Renters rank it high, so the neighborhood matters as much as the house.
• Plan your costs honestly. Our post on co-living operating costs covers utilities, furnishing and turnover.
• Test the model before you buy. Run your numbers with the investor tools, use conservative inputs, and plan for empty months.

You can also read how rent by the room investing differs from a single-family lease. CoRent operates in Richmond, Petersburg and Colonial Heights, Virginia. Nothing here promises income. Talk to a licensed professional about your own situation.

Frequently asked questions

Do public surveys show renters want co-living?

Not directly. The national surveys cited here ask all renters about budget, location and fees. Shared housing is a small share of renters' home types in the Zillow report, under 1%.

What do renters rank highest?

In the Zillow report, 93% of renters called being within their initial budget essential, the top item. Location and bedroom count were next, at 81% each.

Can I rely on these numbers for my own investment?

No. They describe renters nationally, not a specific house or market. Use them as context and check local numbers with a licensed professional.