§ Accommodation

flatshare

also called share house · shared flat · WG · roommates

Renting a private room in a normal residential apartment shared with others.

ColivingCoworkinghomestayflatshare
Solid lines are terms people actually mix up with flatshare. The rest sit in the same subject, sharing space and budget lodging. Coliving · Coworking · homestay

Right, in plain English

A flatshare is renting one private room in an ordinary residential apartment that you share with other tenants. It is different from coliving, which is a managed, purpose-built shared space; a flatshare is just a normal flat with roommates. It is often the cheapest furnished way to live abroad, but it can still drag in local paperwork, a deposit and a longer notice period than you expect.

You take a room in a flatshare in Berlin to keep costs down. It is cheap and social, but the lead tenant asks you to register your address there for the city, put down a deposit, and give a couple of months' notice before you leave, none of which you saw coming from a simple room rental.

Why it matters

Often the cheapest furnished option abroad, but may require local paperwork, deposits, and longer notice periods.

Not to be confused with

The difference is the whole point, so here is each one in a line.

Sharing space and budget lodging · 4 terms

These are about who else is around and how communal the place is.
Coliving gives you a private room but shared communal spaces and a built-in community, a flatshare is a private room in an ordinary shared apartment, and a sublet is renting from an existing tenant rather than the landlord.
A homestay is living with a local family, and a guesthouse and hostel are budget lodgings, the hostel offering dorm beds and shared facilities.
Coworking is the work counterpart, a shared workspace rented flexibly.

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