A new student accommodation and co-living company founded in Newcastle has set out plans to expand across the UK with an approach centred on creating affordable, well-managed places where people can feel comfortable, connected and part of a community.
Cohabit8 is building its presence from its North East base, with properties in Newcastle and its first move into Scotland through a brand-new, design-led 49-studio development on St Vincent Street in Glasgow, which began operating this summer.
Led by CEO Dan Salmon, Cohabit8 has been created around a simple ambition: to rethink what professionally managed accommodation can offer both the people who live in it and the property owners behind it.
At the heart of that approach is a focus on community, affordability and the resident experience, supported by Cohabit8’s own technology and almost two decades of experience in the student accommodation sector.
Rather than viewing accommodation simply in terms of rooms and buildings, the company wants to create places where residents can have their own independence while feeling comfortable, supported and connected to the people and community around them.
Affordability is also central to Cohabit8’s approach as students and young people continue to face increasing financial pressures. The business aims to balance the need to provide good-quality, well-managed accommodation with keeping the cost of living there accessible.
For property owners, Cohabit8’s model is designed to support the long-term performance of their buildings by combining experienced management with technology, data and a strong understanding of what residents increasingly expect from the places they live.
Dan said: “Cohabit8 is about building the kind of accommodation business we believe people need now and in the future.
“The property market is constantly changing, but ultimately the things that matter to people are quite simple. They want to live somewhere they feel comfortable and safe, where things work as they should, where they can afford to live and where there is an opportunity to feel part of a community.
“Particularly for students, accommodation can shape your whole experience of a city. You might be moving away from home for the first time and suddenly finding yourself somewhere completely new. We want the places we manage to help people make that transition and feel connected rather than simply giving them a room to live in.
“Affordability has to be part of that conversation too. We’re operating in a market where costs and expectations are changing all the time, so we need to be able to adapt while continuing to provide a really good experience for residents and a sustainable model for property owners.
“Technology helps us do that. We’ve developed our own software to support how we manage properties, communicate and respond to what is happening within our buildings. But technology isn’t the end goal – it should make things easier for our teams, our residents and the owners we work with.
“That thinking is what will guide how Cohabit8 grows. Newcastle is where we’ve started and Glasgow is our first move into Scotland, but we see an opportunity to take this approach into other cities across the UK.”
Cohabit8’s technology has been developed to support areas including maintenance, resident communication, property performance and day-to-day operations, giving its team and property owners greater visibility over how buildings are operating.
The company believes this combination of technology and hands-on management will become increasingly important as the accommodation market continues to evolve.
Alongside its established presence in Newcastle, Cohabit8 began operating its first Scottish property this summer, taking over a newly completed 49-studio development on St Vincent Street in Glasgow.
Despite taking on the property late in the student letting cycle, Cohabit8 fully let all 49 studios within just six weeks, providing an early indication of demand for its approach in a new market.
The design-led property reflects the company’s emphasis on creating modern accommodation that balances residents’ need for privacy and independence with a sense of connection and community.
Dan said: “To fully let the Glasgow property within six weeks, particularly when we took it on so late in the letting cycle, was a really encouraging start. It gives us confidence in what we’re building and in the opportunity to take that approach into other UK cities.”
Cohabit8 is now exploring opportunities in other UK cities across student accommodation and the wider residential market, with its expansion focused on properties and partnerships where it believes its approach can add genuine value for both residents and owners.
Dan added: “Growth for us isn’t about putting a pin in as many cities as possible. We want to work with the right owners, in the right buildings and in places where we think we can create something that genuinely works for the people living there.
“If we can create places people enjoy calling home, keep listening and adapting to what residents need, and give owners confidence that their properties are being looked after properly, that gives us a really strong foundation on which to build Cohabit8.”