If you’ve ever considered living in cities such as Seattle and Los Angeles, you would know that the cost of housing in these places are as steep as ever. But one company has found a solution to this, and it involves living in a pod.
In an attempt to bridge the wide gap between low-income and luxury housing, Podshare came up with co-living projects that will cater to the people in the middle of that spectrum who are left with no other affordable housing options.
Nadya Hewitt is one of the pod tenants (or what the company likes to call, “members”) in a PodShare location in Los Angeles. If you would ask her for a grand tour of her place, she wouldn’t even need to leave her bed.
The pods feature a twin bed, a small flat-screen TV in a shared bunk room, storage space, and lockers. The rest of the members would have to share bathrooms, kitchen, yard, and other common areas.
Members who hop from one area to another would have no problem with lodging, as PodShare allows them to stay in their different locations as long as there is availability.
Monthly rent costs go from $1,000 to $1,400, but the PodShare where Nadya is staying is at the highest end of that range. This might still be considered expensive by some, but if you would look at the traditional costs of housing in the surrounding area of Venice Beach, they go for a lot more, so $1,400 is definitely a good amount.
Without PodShare, Nadya says that it would be impossible for her to even live in that area.
“Oh my gosh,” she said, “I’ve looked at studio apartments in this area, in Hollywood, downtown. I mean, we’re looking at almost $2,000 a month.”
There are over 200 PodShare locations in Los Angeles, and by purchasing a pass to one of them, you gain access to their entire network of locations.
“Podestrians” can pay for nightly, weekly, or monthly rates. PodShare doesn’t also require its members to pay for typical renting payments, such as security deposits, utilities, maintenance, membership or other fees.
As their website says: “The future is access not ownership.”
Jill Pable, a professor in the Department of Interior Architecture and Design at Florida State University, said that the co-living trend is more than just about economics.
According to her, co-living “fits very hand in glove with the sense that we are now moving into an experience economy rather than a possessions economy.”
“This is tied to, for example, the tiny house movement and a great emphasis on travel these days,” she added.
Mike Liu, one of Pod Share’s members, shares his experience co-living experience.
“There’s always somebody new coming through, and that discovery feeling is always there,” he said.
Mike added that there’s already a sense of built-in friendship and community among long-term residents such as himself.
We’ve compiled a list of PodShare’s locations and rates below:
- Hollywood: $50/night — $280/week — $1,000/month
- DTLA Arts District: $50/night — $280/week — $1,000/month
- Los Feliz: $50/night
- Westwood: $50/night — $280/week — $1,000/month
- Venice: $60/night– $350/week — $1,400/month
Aside from the ones mentioned above, there are more benefits to co-living. It allows you to live actively and travel anywhere, with the assurance that your home is secure because you really don’t have a whole house to safeguard. Also, co-living allows you to have privacy and collaborate with other people at the same time. If you want your me-time, you can easily stay on your bed and watch the latest Netflix series. But if you’re in the mood for socialization, you wouldn’t have to go far as you have tons of housemates living with you in the same building! Cool, right?
Do you think the co-living lifestyle will fit you? Watch the video below: