London Monday to Friday Rental Trend Launches in Australia

City housing affordability and the rise of the “mega” commuter has seen the launch of Australia’s first Monday to Friday property listing site WeekDay Space, catering to professional lodgers who rent in the city during the week and go home on weekends.

A popular concept in London for over a decade WeekDay Space Founders Rani Cohen and Jessica Lai believe their first Australian launch city Sydney presents a “perfect storm” for reinventing traditional flat sharing from 7 days a week to 5.

A recent report* into Sydney housing affordability concluded typical households face the choice between living a considerable distance from the city or living in a one-bedroom apartment.

“With the cost of living so high, we have seen the rise of the mega commuter, people who have jobs in the city but commute long distances to live elsewhere,

Monday to Friday lodging in cities like London and now Sydney allows people to live near work during the week and head home to more affordable or desirable climes on the weekend, like a second home in the city without the price tag”, Ms Cohen said.

According to recent study** 1 in 5 adults in Australia earn extra income via the Share Economy and the WeekDay Space Founders believe having a Monday to Friday boarder comes with many benefits.

“Monday to Friday landlords gain a stream of weekly income, a professional lodger who has no need for a van load of possessions and the great bonus of weekends to themselves,” Ms Lai said.

The newly launched website which private landlords can use to list spare rooms or car spaces, is planning to expand nationally and will offer lodgers the opportunity to place ads so they can be matched with appropriate spaces that meet their requirements.

“Initial interest has indicated that people may have bespoke requirements for particular nights and areas, so lodger ads and matching seem a natural evolution,” Ms Lai said.

To celebrate the launch the website, they will be searching nationally for Australia’s for Australia’s Longest Commute and are already receiving some interesting entries.

“It’s a fun competition but a serious topic in that people are commuting very long distances to work, to care for others and to study,” Ms Cohen said.

“We hope that WeekDay Space will be an avenue for helping some of these people to escape these long commutes and maybe make some great connections in the process,” she said.

*Source: The Affordable Housing Income Gap Report – Compass Housing
 **Source: finder.com.au survey of 2,010 Australians