London co-living brands look interchangeable online: warm photos, the word "community", a pricing page that needs a decoder ring. Underneath, they differ on format, contract mechanics and what happens when things go wrong. These ten questions separate them in one enquiry email.
Money Questions (1–4)
1. "What exactly does the weekly price include — listed by name?" The answer should name WiFi, electricity, water and council tax without hedging. Vague answers now become surprise line items later. What to listen for.
2. "Are there any usage caps, and what are the numbers?" Caps aren't automatically bad — undisclosed caps are. A provider who states "no caps" or gives you the kWh figure in writing passes.
3. "What's the deposit, and which protection scheme holds it?" The legal max is five weeks' rent; the scheme (DPS, TDS, mydeposits) must be named. Nook's answer, for calibration: four weeks — one full rent period — protected, named in the contract. Deposit rules.
4. "Any fees beyond rent and deposit?" Admin fees on ASTs are banned under the Tenant Fees Act. "Membership fees" and "community fees" are how some brands reintroduce them — ask, and get the total.
Living Questions (5–7)
5. "Individual contract or joint tenancy?" Individual means a flatmate leaving is never your bill. This single mechanic separates true co-living from a dressed-up flatshare. Contract types explained.
6. "Who will I actually live with — and can I meet them?" A good operator describes the flat's real mix (ages, work/study) and offers viewings when residents are around. "A vibrant community of creators" is not an answer; "two postgrads and an engineer, home most evenings" is.
7. "What's the format — shared flat, cluster, or tower?" Four flatmates in a real flat, twelve in a corridor cluster, or four hundred in an amenity tower are three different lives at three different prices. Decide which one you're buying — the price ladder maps them.
Exit Questions (8–10)
8. "What's the minimum term and the notice period?" Three-month minimums with one month's notice suit interns and new arrivals; six-month minimums with two months' notice suit settled stays. Neither is wrong — mismatched to your plans is wrong.
9. "What happens if I don't get on with a flatmate?" The answer you want: room transfers within the portfolio, handled as an email. The answer you don't: silence, or "that's never happened".
10. "How do repairs get reported, and what's the typical fix time?" Ask for the mechanism (app, WhatsApp, phone) and a real example. Maintenance is where operator quality shows first.
Scoring the Answers
Ten crisp answers in writing → shortlist them. Hedging on money questions → walk. Hedging on exit questions → walk faster; exits are when contracts stop being friendly. And ask every provider the same ten — the comparison writes itself. We keep our answers on the page: the honest London co-living comparison, and Nook's rooms with pricing, inclusions and contract terms published up front.
