Navigating Regulation: Tenancy Reform, Planning Frameworks, and the Evolving Legal Landscape

Across many markets, housing regulation is evolving in response to broader concerns around affordability, security of tenure, and tenant protections. For coliving and shared living operators, these developments raise important questions around contract structures, pricing models, and operational flexibility.  

At the same time, some cities and national governments are beginning to introduce more defined regulatory classifications and formal planning frameworks for shared living. While greater recognition can bring benefits - including clearer development pathways and improved investor confidence - it can also introduce new constraints around space standards, operational definitions, and compliance requirements.

This session combined legal, operational, and development perspectives to examine how regulatory change - across both tenancy law and planning systems - is shaping the future of shared living.  

What was covered in this session?

• Key tenancy reform developments affecting shared living across markets
• Contract structures, resident protections, and balancing flexibility with compliance
• The evolution of planning frameworks and formal recognition of coliving
• How planning classification affects development, investment, and design standards
• Differences across jurisdictions and strategic responses from operators and developers