Housing costs have spiraled beyond reach for many Americans, creating a gap that traditional rental markets can’t fill. Post-COVID economic shifts have left countless people stuck between expensive single apartments and limited affordable options. Dr. Connor Robertson sees co-living platforms like PadSplit as the practical solution that benefits both renters seeking affordability and investors looking for steady cash flow.
The Problem Nobody Wants to Talk About
Finding affordable housing these days feels like searching for unicorns. Robertson puts it bluntly: “Depending on where you look in the US, you have apartments that are ranging anywhere from 1500 to 2000 to $3,000 for a single bedroom.” That’s just for one bedroom. No wonder people fresh out of college or going through career changes can’t find anywhere to live. The traditional rental market completely ignores people who need something between a hotel and a year-long lease. Sure, Airbnb exists, but that’s vacation stuff. “For people who are looking for a furnished rental on a week to week or month to month basis and don’t want to stay daily, they have to look at platforms like PadSplit, these other co-living environments,” he explains. There’s this whole group of renters that regular landlords just pretend don’t exist.
Breaking Down the Co-Living Math
Here’s where Robertson’s idea gets interesting. Take a regular house and rent out individual rooms instead of the whole place. “It’s a single family home that you can put more than five people into who are all individually not related to each other. Since they’re unrelated, you can rent by the individual room.” Say you’ve got a house with a $4,000 monthly payment. That’s crushing for one person or family. But split it between eight people? Suddenly everyone’s paying something manageable. The property owner buys a three or four bedroom house, adds more bedrooms by splitting existing ones, maybe throws in an extra bathroom, and lists each room separately.
The whole thing runs on simple math that actually helps people. Tenants pay around $250 a week for a furnished room and shared living spaces. That’s way cheaper than trying to rent a whole apartment. Property owners get steady income that beats what they’d make from regular rentals. Robertson likes this better than government programs: “Unlike Section 8, which is a government-based program, these co-living environments can be created by what we consider micro investors.” Small investors with just a couple properties can jump into this market. No waiting for government approvals or dealing with bureaucracy.
Highlighting the Growth Potential
The best part? You don’t need to be some big real estate mogul to try this. He sees regular people getting into real estate this way when traditional investing feels impossible. Buy a house, convert some bedrooms, list the rooms online, and start collecting weekly payments. “Long-term rentals are very hard to cash flow, short-term rentals have a lot of volatility,” Robertson points out. Co-living sits right in the middle, giving property owners steady income while solving a real problem for renters who can’t afford traditional apartments.
He thinks this whole thing is about to explode. “I think you’re going to see a massive amount of people in this space because it just makes sense,” he says, especially between 2025 and 2030. The housing crisis isn’t getting better anytime soon. Traditional apartments keep getting more expensive while wages stay flat. Co-living platforms give people an actual option that works in the real world. For anyone thinking about getting into real estate but feeling priced out, this might be the way in. The demand is there, the model works, and someone’s going to fill this gap. Robertson thinks it might as well be regular people who need the income and want to help solve a problem at the same time.
Connect with Dr. Connor Robertson on LinkedIn to explore more insights on housing solutions.
