Whilst flat-sharing was first tried out in the 1960s as a form of protest against narrow-minded, overbearing parents, it has now established itself as the most popular and most commonly chosen form of communal living amongst students. In contrast, a spacious one-bedroom flat offers a comfortable, peaceful evening’s rest amidst the stresses of a packed Master’s degree and two part-time jobs. Do 32-square-metre one-bedroom flats with new kitchens and spotless bathrooms spell the end for shared flats? We visited students in their own homes.
Stella Diettrich (22) and Till Ziehm (23) are sitting at the wooden kitchen table, peeling apples for a cake intended for the evening’s flat-share party. On the gas hob, water for tea is boiling in a brass-coloured kettle. On the wall shelves and hanging from hooks next to a wall covered in colourful postcards, a large collection of whisks, potato mashers and other kitchen utensils suggests that cooking together is the order of the day. The budding environmental scientist and the physics student live with Regine Albers (24, landscape ecology) and Kirsten Kleis (24, English and philosophy) in a four-room flat in an old building. Finding the flat wasn’t that easy.
The fact is that only one in ten students can secure a room in a hall of residence. The private housing market must therefore provide the majority of student accommodation. However, what’s on offer doesn’t always fit within students’ tight budgets, which average between 250 and 500 euros a month. This was revealed by a survey carried out by the Studentenwerk and the General Students’ Committee (AStA) during the 2015/16 winter semester. According to a survey by a property portal, average rents in Oldenburg for flats up to 40 square metres are 9.46 euros per square metre. The larger the flat, the cheaper it gets. Living in a shared flat is therefore demonstrably cheaper than living alone. However, the financial factor is by no means the only one in favour of shared living.
“This is where community happens.”
For Stella, Till, Regine and Kirsten, it’s the shared moments that define their quality of life and sense of well-being. A spontaneous breakfast in the communal kitchen might end up lasting longer than planned, or on a Sunday there might be a cook-in with ten people in the shared flat one floor below. “In our flat-share, it’s not just practical that we benefit from the household items each of us has brought with us – we’re now really well kitted out and don’t have to buy everything individually. It’s also the fact that our different skills enrich everyday life in the flat-share. ‘I was able to help Stella put her bed together,’ says Till. ‘And if Till needs to sew some clothes, for example, he comes to me. In return, I’ve learnt a bit about cooking here,’ says Stella. Most of the time, they say, there’s no need to make many compromises at all. On the contrary, they both agree that it’s great to improve their communication skills in this way.
“A shared flat is simply the place where community happens,” says Dr Norbert Gestring from the Institute of Social Sciences, who researches urban sociology. He points out that university life should be understood as a phase of life that extends youth – what is known as post-adolescence. This is a phase in which one can try out many things, such as living with peers in a shared flat and negotiating the arrangements for living together. In principle, however, a single flat is also a good solution. “Every step away from the family home can be seen as a step towards emancipation. In contrast, however, a shared flat offers good opportunities to develop social skills,” says Gestring. Residents of shared flats are more likely to learn tolerance and how to deal with conflicts than those living alone.
“The social aspect was taken for granted 30 years ago; back then, no one would have thought of building lots of single flats,” says Ursula Sontag, head of the student accommodation department at the Oldenburg Studentenwerk. That is why the Studentenwerk’s first hall of residence on Huntemannstraße still had corridors with 16 rooms. In 2011, these were refurbished and converted into single and double flats. In doing so, the Studentenwerk responded to changing student demand. However, the majority of places in student halls of residence today are still shared flats. For example, on Huntemannstraße there are still 11-person shared flats alongside the refurbished flats. The waiting lists for single flats are the longest, however. According to Sontag, this is also linked to increased expectations regarding accommodation.
“Being able to let it all hang out”
For Vanessa Witt (27, Sustainability Economics), it was clear as soon as she was offered her place at university in Oldenburg that she wanted her own flat. However, the waiting lists for flats in halls of residence were too long shortly before the start of the academic year. So, through online adverts, she found her 35-square-metre flat, complete with some furniture, where she can now often listen to loud music, take her time in the bathroom and put off housework and washing up whenever she pleases. A spacious living room, with a three-seater sofa in front of a large flat-screen TV, is perfect for a film night. Keeping things tidy is easy thanks to the floor-to-ceiling cupboards.
Miriam Fels (25, Integrated Media and Teacher Training) sees the advantage of her 19-square-metre flat – which is utilised to perfection right down to the last centimetre – as being that, after a stressful day, she can simply toss her bag, jacket and shopping aside. Miriam says she’s also struck gold financially with her small but cosy flat. That makes it bearable that there’s barely any space left between her desk chair and the bed. And who can really claim that they actually only have to take one step from their bed to the front door? In a way, she’s torn between a room in a shared flat and a flat of her own. “But with my three jobs and my studies, I’m really glad to have some peace and quiet at home.”
So what is the students’ absolute dream living arrangement? The survey by the Studentenwerk and the AStA clarifies this too. In first place, with 33.9 per cent, is the shared flat; in second place, with 27.4 per cent, is living alone. So there’s not much of a difference.
Lina Brunnée (25, editorial trainee), Michaela Boelsen (28, finance assistant) and Jana Sander (28, retail assistant) have found that acquaintances in shared flats can turn into friendships. The three of them have recently finished their degrees or completed their vocational training and continue to live in the same shared flat arrangement. The 130-square-metre, four-bedroom flat – with a living room, spacious hallway and large kitchen – offers so much space that up to 50 people can gather there for parties. The three believe that shared flats are always beneficial – whether in multi-generational homes, during student life or in later life. “That way, you have people to turn to in all situations, can help each other out and share the household chores,” says Lina.
So do stylish single-occupancy flats – such as the 138 new flats provided by the Studentenwerk on Artillerieweg – spell the end of shared flats? Not at all. Time and again, residents of shared flats emphasise how lovely the lavish meals, spontaneous evenings and conversations are. Conclusion: Shared flats are and will remain an integral part of student accommodation – and we’re absolutely convinced of that.
Sarina Lux
