habitacion.com: From Renting to Shared Co-Ownership
habitacion.com has set the goal of turning tenants into real estate investors. Using the legal structure known as “proindiviso” and with the intermediation of this startup founded in 2023, several buyers come together to acquire a percentage of a property in which they also live. Students, executives, and digital nomads are some of the profiles that have participated in the 80 deals already closed. The forecast for 2025 is to reach 400 operations, and more than 21,000 people are already on the waiting list. This growth will be fueled by a recent €1.3 million funding round led by Demium Capital. Oriol Valls, co-founder and CEO of the company, explains in this interview the core of this revolutionary model.
How did the idea for habitacion.com come about, and how does it help young people access homeownership?
habitacion.com was created to bring the real estate sector closer to more people by making homeownership more accessible. We saw how most young people were unable to save, spending all their income on rent, and ending the month without owning anything. The idea to found habitacion.com came from our personal experience: we were both spending all our income renting a room and wanted to invest in real estate—but without having to buy a full property or take on a mortgage.
habitacion.com makes homeownership accessible by turning rent into an investment. If a user pays €450 per month to rent a room, that’s €5,400 a year essentially lost. By buying a room, they can pay the same €450 per month but as an owner, generating equity. In five years, they could save over €20,000, for instance, if they decide to sell their share.
What’s the process to register the ownership of an individual room?
When you buy a room, you’re acquiring an undivided share of the property (proindiviso), meaning a percentage of it. This is the same legal structure used when a couple buys a home together: both purchase 50% in proindiviso (as registered in the Property Registry).
“Our first rooms were booked in less than 48 hours, closing more than 80 transactions in the main cities of the country.”
Registering ownership of a room follows the same legal process as any real estate transaction: a public deed of sale is signed before a notary and then submitted to the Property Registry. The registry records each co-owner’s ownership percentage.
Are there legal risks in the model? What guarantees does habitacion.com offer buyers?
We use the legal form of proindiviso, which has been part of Spanish law since 1880—it’s well-established and highly regulated. It’s also the most common way to acquire property in Spain, providing maximum legal strength to the habitacion.com model.
At the same time as the public deed is signed, buyers sign a co-ownership agreement that protects each individual’s rights and interests and ensures compliance with current legislation.
What sets habitacion.com apart from other housing access models?
Our main differentiator is that we facilitate access to shared homeownership. Room-sharing is common, but it’s almost always tied to renting—never to ownership.
How many rooms are you currently offering, and in which areas?
Our first rooms were reserved in under 48 hours. We closed over 80 deals last year in major cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Granada. Currently, more than 21,000 people are on the waiting list, and we aim to reach 400 rooms by 2025.
How do you manage the purchase process when the buyers don’t know each other?
Before finalizing the sale of a property, we match compatible profiles based on lifestyle and living preferences. This process includes an affinity test and personalized interviews with all potential buyers, where we assess compatibility and expectations. We also ensure that all future cohabitants meet in advance and agree before the deal is formalized.
“Our goal is to scale the platform to establish ourselves as leaders in the residential co-ownership market in Southern Europe.”
Once the group is confirmed, a co-ownership agreement is signed regulating key aspects of shared living and property management. This includes legal compliance, protection of each owner’s rights and interests, use of common and private areas, house rules (e.g., standard cleaning services), and procedures in case of breaches or dissolution of the agreement.
This framework ensures a safe, transparent, and sustainable co-living experience for all buyers.
What are the most common buyer profiles?
Young adults between 25 and 35 who are already sharing apartments and looking for a more stable, long-term alternative; parents of university students studying in big cities who prefer to invest in housing instead of losing money to rent over four or five years; executives and professionals who travel frequently and spend large amounts on temporary accommodations (Booking, Airbnb, etc.)—they can now have a fixed private room. We also see digital nomads who travel most of the year but want a stable base—like a room in Madrid. Finally, divorced individuals looking for flexible and affordable living solutions, and investors interested in a new way to generate returns in the real estate market.
What role are other participatory models like Urbanitae’s playing in the real estate sector?
Models like Urbanitae’s, based on collective investment, are transforming access to real estate investment. Their role is increasingly relevant because they democratize investing—allowing people without expertise or significant capital to invest in real estate projects with low minimum contributions. These participatory models also bring innovation to how real estate assets are financed, managed, and accessed, serving as a bridge between technology and citizen capital. In short, models like Urbanitae’s are playing a key role as drivers of change in the sector.
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
We have extremely high demand but limited supply. Today, we have a waiting list of over 21,000 people. Our main focus is rapidly expanding our room offering to meet this demand.
What are your goals for the future?
Our goal is to scale the platform and become the leading residential co-ownership provider in Southern Europe. We want to continue expanding our reach and help more and more people access homeownership.
