Affordable housing is a topic discussed over kitchen tables, news desks and at events on stage. It is debated in parliament and within office walls.

It is also driving a movement to create and bring to market, real solutions that will help more Australians secure affordable housing.

Co-living is one of the solutions becoming increasingly popular. Unlike shared living, you have a private bedroom, bathroom/ensuite and also a private kitchen. You can sleep, bath, cook and eat in privacy.

Communities are built around the shared facilities such as the living room or backyard.

This housing solution is popular with a number of cohorts:

- Women who are starting new beginnings following the end of a marriage or death of a spouse

- Groups of Retirees who want space and independence but also company

- Fly in Fly out workers, who want an affordable space to rent for short bursts of time

- Students who want safe and secure personal space but also want to enjoy the university experience with their fellow students

- Young professionals wanting personal space combined with a vibrant social life

- Couples with no kids, needing an affordable space with privacy

For investors, co-living also represents an attractive investment opportunity.

One single property, yielding multiple streams of rental income.

InfoChoice revealed in a recent survey of Australian households who rent, that 7 out of 10 respondents confirmed that they were paying more than 30% of their household salary on rent.

Anglicare meanwhile, reviewed the affordability of properties for the lowest salary earners in Australia, and found that out of 45,115 rental listings they reviewed:

- 289 rentals (0.6%) were affordable for a person earning a full-time minimum wage

- 89 rentals (0.2%) were affordable for a person on the Age Pension

- 31 rentals (0.1%) were affordable for a person on the Disability Support Pension

- 3 rentals, (0%) all sharehouses, were affordable for a person on JobSeeker

- 0 rentals (0%) were affordable for a person on Youth Allowance.

Co-living provides an affordable housing option for people to achieve rent within budget, whilst maintaining privacy and a secure space to call home. It is also an attractive lifestyle for many people seeking company and social interaction. If you haven't read the book Ikigai on the Japanese secret to a long and happy life, we highly recommend you pick up a copy today. Certainly, co-living appears to be an important part of the Ikigai way.

Taking a financial view to this solution, the space created means investors rent multiple dwellings from the one physical structure. Put simply, there is the opportunity for more rental income in total, whilst delivering affordable rental options to the market.

Investors, many who are looking at their superannuation balance and have realized that they do not have 67% of their income saved to ensure a comfortable retirement (and certainly not enough to last potentially 30 years of retired bliss) are researching alternative ways to invest their superannuation funds. This includes looking to investment into property. With a strong mortgage broker or financial planner on your side, exploring an investment into co-living property might just make sense. The potential for social good stands alone as a pretty deal in itself.

Stay tuned to hear more from Proxima on a range of co-living property options available to our network of Proxima real estate agents.