Share houses are also popular among students, and according to a market trend survey on share houses conducted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in 2017, the largest number of residents were those aged 25 to 35, followed by those in their late 30s, and thirdly those in their early 20s. This article summarizes the benefits students can get from living in a share house with many residents of the same generation or younger people, so please use it as a reference if you are a student considering moving into a share house.

Economic benefits

What are the economic benefits of living in a share house? We have summarized them in the following three points. Saving on rent Reducing initial costs Sharing living expenses (utilities, internet, etc.)

Rent savings

How much can you save on rent by living in a shared house compared to a regular rental property? The average rent for a shared house is usually around 40,000-60,000 yen, including management fees and common area fees, while most rental properties for single people are around 50,000-70,000 yen. Since the rent for a shared house includes management fees and common area fees, you can save more than 10,000 yen by living in a shared house compared to a regular rental property.

Reduction in initial costs

For a normal rental property, you will need to pay a deposit, key money, agency fees, guarantee fees, fire insurance premiums, key exchange fees, etc., so the initial costs will be about 400,000 yen. In comparison, with a shared house, you will need the first month's rent, management fees, common area fees, agency fees, and a security deposit, so the total can be kept to about 100,000 yen. Even if you just look at the initial costs, a shared house can keep the initial costs down by about 300,000 yen.

Sharing living expenses (utilities, internet, etc.)

With a regular rental property, you pay for the utilities and internet you use, so the amount you pay each month will fluctuate. However, with a share house, utilities and internet fees are often a fixed amount, and since multiple people share a residence, you can keep costs down.

Improving life skills

How does living in a share house improve your life skills? We have summarized it below in two points. Improve your housekeeping skills Gain communication skills

Improving housekeeping skills

In a share house, you basically do your own housework. Even in a normal rental property, you do your own housework, but in a share house, you can learn from people who have better housekeeping skills than you, so I think your housekeeping skills improve much faster than if you were living alone.

Acquiring communication skills

The best thing about living in a share house is that you can be close to your sharemates and communicate with them a lot. You can meet people who are in different circumstances than you, so you have the opportunity to communicate with a variety of people.

The spread of human relationships

How can you broaden your social network by living in a share house? We have summarized it below in two ways. Making friends from other universities and with different backgrounds Opportunities for international exchange

Making friends from other universities and with different backgrounds

When you become a university student, you meet more people, but you may not have many opportunities to meet people from other universities. In that respect, if you live in a share house, you will have roommates and make friends through them, so you will have more opportunities to meet people from other universities and make friends with a variety of backgrounds.

International exchange opportunities

Share houses are not only home to Japanese people, but also to many foreigners who are temporarily residing in Japan. It's a good opportunity to learn about values ​​and eating habits that are different from those of Japanese people.

Balancing privacy and coexistence

What should you pay attention to when choosing a share house? We have summarized it below. The security of a private room and the convenience of the shared space The importance of rules and manners in the share house

Secure private rooms and convenient shared spaces

When choosing a share house, we recommend choosing one that has private rooms with locks. Private rooms are essential to protect your privacy and to have time to concentrate on studying alone. It's also good to choose a share house with ample common areas so that you don't have to go out when you want to change places to study.

The importance of rules and manners in a share house

Since multiple people live in one residence, rules and manners are very important. When viewing the property, it is a good idea to ask in advance about the house rules and check what kind of lifestyle the sharemates who are already living there are leading.

Convenient location and convenience

Location and convenience are very important points when choosing a share house. We have summarized them in detail in the following two points. Good access to the university area and urban areas The advantage of being close to shopping and restaurants

Good access to the university and urban areas

When deciding on a place to live, it is important to consider whether it has good access to the station you often use. It is best to live near the station you often use, but if that is difficult, try to find a place as close to the station as possible, or consider buses as well as trains to expand your options. Also, if you are considering a part-time job, it is a good idea to choose a place that is not only close to your university, but also has good access to urban areas where there are many part-time job openings.

The advantage of having shopping and restaurants nearby Once you have decided on the area you want to live in, we recommend that you actually walk around the area around the share house. Check whether there are many shops that are open at the times you usually visit, whether there are restaurants you can stop by when it is difficult to cook for yourself, and other things that suit your lifestyle.

summary

I think that for students, shared houses offer many advantages over regular rental properties.
There are many reasons to move into a share house, but you should actually look around the property and think carefully about whether it suits you and whether it is an environment that will have a positive impact on you. We hope this article will be helpful in finding a share house that suits you.