College Shared House

Student House Share

You could create a house based on a field of study or shared recreational interests. Like sorority and fraternity houses, a student house share may have a gender preference. If you create your group before you find your property together, you can decide on your preferred occupant characteristics as a group, without advertising any preference that would put you in violation of fair housing laws.

Steps to find college-age housemates to start a student house share

  1. Defining a common interest can be a big draw, such as a recreational pursuit or field of study that defines the house. Turning a family room into a dedicated space for a shared activity or shared project can make the residence a social hub. Although you can move to a different rental if a more ideal location is found, a stable location will allow your reputation to grow, so take the time to choose your location carefully.
  2. New recruits are easy to find thru personal networks or roommate-finder platforms. Inviting those interested to send their profile from ICmatch.org can help you identify whether potential members that have a common purpose, lifestyle, or values.
  3. Hire a stable older member or couple who could manage bills, and other responsibilities that maintain the residence long term. This caretaker may prefer to live nearby or in an onsite guest house in exchange as part or all of their payment, close by but not disturbed by late parties.
  4. Frame and prominently display house rules, including how group decisions are made, timing of regular meetings, and how chores are assigned. Include small framed rule reminders in the locations where they most apply.
  5. The group can function somewhat like a sorority or fraternity house, but rules are made by existing members instead of a national organization.
  6. Set the initial culture and governance style carefully, because it will likely be perpetuated long after the original renters have graduated and moved on. Make sure to create agreements about if you can let friends crash for the night, with or without informing others, and for how long.
  7. Groups that develop a high trust level can substantially lower costs by sharing service subscriptions of many types such as academic databases, music, or movies.

Examples

North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO): Lists group-equity housing cooperatives, with a focus on youth and student communities in Canada and the U.S.

ic.org also lists existing student co-op housing.

Supernuclear blog has tips and stories about living with a group of friends in over-priced apartments.

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Resources

How to set up a shared rental house: This is a practical description of how to find, modify, and invite renters into a community house for college students. It was created by one who repeatedly created these houses over three decades. If the housing is designated specifically for non-binary, male, or female students only, investigate the legal limitations in your area. In general, describe who your group consists of, not who you include or exclude. If and when you seek new members, either recruit thru word-of-mouth or carefully word your ads in a way that does not make you vulnerable to accusations of discrimination in the categories protected by fair housing law.

Shared-house rules: These house-sharing tips and etiquette were refined over a decade.