What 120 Weekly Leads and a Single Lease Quietly Teach Us About Coliving
You’d think 120 enquiries in a single week would be a win. For most rental listings, that kind of activity signals strong demand. A waiting list, maybe. Definitely more than one lease.
But in this case, just one out of nine rooms was leased.
The rest sat empty.
The surface data suggests interest. But beneath that, something’s off. If we look closer, we find a quiet truth: interest doesn’t always equal intention. And demand doesn’t always lead to decisions.
This wasn’t a marketing failure. It wasn’t about lead volume or poor copy. It was about misalignment—between what people were looking for and what they found. Between curiosity and commitment.
So what went wrong?
It almost always comes down to two things: location and design. One is the world outside the home. The other is the world within it. If either is out of sync with what people need, no level of marketing will close the gap.
Location Is More Than a Postcode
Location in real estate often means proximity—close to transport, shops, schools, or nightlife. But for renters, especially in co-living, it’s also emotional.
Does this neighbourhood feel like part of their identity? Is it aspirational or temporary? Would they proudly say, “I live here,” or is it just a stepping stone?
Sometimes, the location itself isn’t bad—it’s just wrong for this audience.
Are we asking creatives to move 30 minutes from the cultural heart of the city? Are we targeting students but pricing for professionals?
That’s where the disconnect happens. One click on Google Maps and the decision is already made.
Design Without Empathy Is Just Decoration
Design is where most people look when leasing slows down. And rightly so. In shared living, design shapes behaviour—how people rest, cook, work, and connect.
But a beautiful space isn’t always a livable one.
If a space feels too sterile, it can seem lifeless. If it’s too cluttered, it can feel chaotic. If private areas are cramped and common areas oversized—or the reverse—residents struggle to picture themselves living there.
That’s the real test: Can they imagine their daily life here?
Where would I make coffee? Take a call? Relax alone? Connect with others?
Common design missteps:
- Nine bedrooms and only two bathrooms.
- Kitchens too small for shared use.
- Thin walls and poor soundproofing.
- No natural light or storage.
These aren’t cosmetic flaws. They’re signs that the design didn’t consider the lived experience. Good design is emotional. It works because it supports the rhythms of real life.
What the Data Really Says
120 leads and only one lease is a signal. Not of failure, but of friction. The product didn’t match the audience.
Instead of reacting with panic, we should respond with curiosity.
- What are people expecting when they enquire?
- What are they seeing during inspections?
- What happens in the gap between viewing and walking away?
You don’t need hundreds of surveys. Just a few honest conversations. A quiet pattern will start to emerge—something wasn’t quite right for the people you hoped to attract.
Ask Better Questions, Sooner
If we want better outcomes, we need to start with better questions. Before fit-out. Before price setting. Before signing the lease.
Here are a few worth asking:
- Who is this really for—not just demographically, but in terms of lifestyle?
- What does a good day look like for them?
- Do they want privacy, flexibility, cost-efficiency, or community? Are we offering what matters most?
- How do they want to feel when they come home?
There’s no perfect formula. But clarity at the beginning avoids confusion at the end.
The Fix Is Often Quiet
In a noisy market, the instinct is to get louder. More ads. More promotions. More listings.
But coliving doesn’t succeed through volume. It succeeds through alignment.
The fix might not be another campaign. It might be:
- A redesign of the common space.
- An extra bathroom added.
- A revised rental price.
- A change in target audience.
In short, a willingness to listen to what isn’t being said—and adjust quietly, but intentionally.
One Lease Isn’t a Failure. It’s Feedback.
Coliving is powerful when done well. It creates belonging. It meets real housing needs. But it doesn’t run on leads alone.
It runs on insight. On small decisions made with care. On spaces designed around real people—not just market trends.
One lease out of 120 enquiries isn’t a crisis. It’s a clue. An invitation to pause, recalibrate, and get closer to what people truly need to say yes.
