Why Hausmates exists

A lifetime of shared living

I grew up in a woongroep and later lived in one again as an adult. My father still lives in a community today.

As a child that mostly meant always having someone to play with, getting the garden ready for winter together every autumn, and game nights at the big table when the weather turned. There was always someone looking out for you.

As an adult, it was that easy-going togetherness that drew me in. Being there for each other, without it ever feeling heavy. Your own room and your own rhythm, but also someone in the kitchen to talk your day through with. With my father I see how valuable that is, especially now that so many people sit alone behind their front door.

When we started looking ourselves

When we went looking for a shared home ourselves, it turned out to be far more complicated than it should be.

Platforms that charge you just to reply. Woongroepen with overflowing inboxes, where three housemates answer the same emails. And ads full of square metres, while it really comes down to one question: who lives there, and is there a click?