Situated in the heart of Uptown, with views that stretch from Grafton Gully through to North Head, Rangitoto and the Sky Tower, The Coh is a radical new take on the traditional house share. Why? Because residents enjoy the camaraderie of up to 25 housemates.

The Coh was founded a year ago by Ben Spence, who was inspired by his own experience of a co-living space in San Francisco. He loved the concept so much, he brought it back to New Zealand and created his own Kiwi version. Residents have their own bedroom, share beautifully presented common areas and nine well-appointed bathrooms. The three-storey building has 22 rooms, four for couples, and all are furnished with a double bed, fitted wardrobe, wall panel heater, mirror and blackout blinds.

“I love the idea that someone can move in here not knowing anyone and get 20-plus friends at a stroke,” says Ben. “If you are new to a city, you need people to go out with and share experiences, while for those just starting out or here on a contract, we make life easy because the place is fully furnished. It’s the perfect combination of community and convenience.” 

Friendships and support are encouraged via a residents’ WhatsApp group, with Sunday dinner and two events per month organised by The Coh. The spacious and fully-equipped kitchen and large dining area are perfect for socialising and residents are encouraged to invite friends over to meet their housemates. The twice-weekly visit by a cleaner minimises any arguments over dishes in the sink, “although I am impressed at how tidy people keep it, they really seem to respect the space and each other,” says Ben.

The Coh residents also have access to a cinema, with reclining chairs and content from Netflix, Apple TV and Sky TV on offer. Residents can make movie requests and share programmes in advance via a cinema WhatsApp group. There is also a games room, where high stools in front of the big TV make for a bar atmosphere that Ben tells me is “perfect for watching sport”. 

The central location is affordable, with rooms costing $300 per week ($340 for couples), including bills, as well as cleaning products and basic foods such as cooking oil, eggs and milk. The Coh is also surprisingly quiet, thanks to the double glazing throughout. Uptown was chosen as the perfect location because, according to Ben, “the precinct offers lots of cool places and a younger vibe, but it’s also really easy to get around on public transport thanks to all the buses on Symonds Street and the train station coming soon to nearby K Rd.”

Current residents range in age from 22 to 36 and include people in law, IT, finance, accounting, construction, retail and post-graduate study. Ben meets all potential housemates face-to-face and only issues an application form to those he thinks are the right fit. “I’ve been really strict on who can live here,” he says, “but it has paid off.  We’ve had no fallouts or problems so far.” 

Ben lives on site, acting as a moderator for the community. Longer term, he plans to create a new co-living space in another part of the city, which will mean getting a manager to take over his role and his room. This plan has been slowed down by Covid-19, as “there are fewer overseas workers here on contracts, and Kiwis haven’t quite got their heads around this way of living”.  It’s surely only a matter of time.