Corporate housing, coliving and flex living are three types of temporary accommodation in Madrid built for professionals on the move, but they are not interchangeable: they differ in privacy, length of stay, contract management and the total cost to the company. Mixing them up can quietly inflate your travel policy budget or hurt the relocated employee’s experience.
The global coliving market is expected to grow from around $13 billion in 2026 to nearly $35 billion by 2030, while global corporate housing is projected to grow from $7.384 billion to $8.690 billion over a similar period, according to industry reports. At BizTrip we see that same shift happening in Madrid: more and more companies are asking for temporary accommodation in Madrid instead of booking hotels out of habit, and they increasingly need to know which model actually fits each project.
What Is Corporate Housing and When Does a Company Need It?
Corporate housing is a full, fully furnished apartment — not a shared room — professionally managed to house an employee or their family for a medium to long stay, typically from one month to a year or more. It’s the model that fits best for relocations, expatriations and projects that run for several months.
Compared to a hotel, it offers more space, a real kitchen and a stable monthly rate instead of a nightly price that spikes with demand. Compared to a traditional lease, there’s no need to set up utilities or furnish anything: the employee arrives and the apartment is already operational. At BizTrip we manage exactly this type of monthly rental in Madrid for companies handling relocations and long projects without adding friction for the HR team.
What Is Coliving and Why Is It Gaining Ground Among Relocated Professionals?
Coliving is a shared housing model: a private bedroom inside an apartment or building with shared common areas (kitchen, living room, coworking space), usually under a single contract with the operator. It started out aimed at digital nomads and younger profiles, but it’s increasingly attracting professionals on shorter trips with tighter budgets.
Its strong point is cost per person, lower than a full apartment, plus the community angle: for a young employee arriving alone in a new city, having people around reduces the isolation of relocation. Its limit for a company is privacy: it’s not the best fit for senior profiles, families, or stays where the employee needs their own space for calls or focused work.
What Is Flex Living and How Does It Differ From the Other Two Models?
Flex living is a private, fully furnished apartment with a rate agreed in advance and flexible stays ranging from a few weeks to several months, without hotel-style price volatility or the mandatory shared spaces of coliving. In practice, it sits between the privacy of classic corporate housing and the contractual flexibility a project needs when there’s no fixed end date yet.
We covered this model in detail in our article on why travel managers are switching from hotels to flex living: the key is that the rate doesn’t change even if it coincides with a trade fair at IFEMA MADRID, something neither hotels nor most traditional rentals can guarantee.
Corporate Housing vs Coliving vs Flex Living: Comparison Table
| Criteria | Corporate Housing | Coliving | Flex Living |
|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy | Full apartment, maximum privacy | Private room, shared common areas | Full apartment, maximum privacy |
| Typical length of stay | 1 to 12+ months | Weeks to several months | Weeks to several months |
| Ideal profile | Relocation, expatriation, families | Junior professional, tighter budget | Teams, projects, medium stays |
| Monthly cost | Medium-high | Lower | Medium, fixed rate |
| Workspace | Own space, within the apartment | Shared coworking area | Independent work area |
| Contract management | Individual, more formal contract | Contract with the operator | Flexible, project-adapted contract |
| Social component | Low | High | Low-medium |
No model is “better” in the abstract: each one solves a different problem within the same broader category of temporary accommodation in Madrid.
Which One Should You Choose Based on the Type of Corporate Trip?
- Relocation or expatriation of an employee with family: corporate housing. They need space, stability and a home base that works for months.
- Junior professional on a short project with a tight budget: coliving. It lowers the cost per person and helps them not arrive alone in an unfamiliar city.
- A team of several people on a project lasting weeks or months, needing a stable rate: flex living. It’s the balance between privacy, predictable cost and date flexibility.
- A one- or two-night business trip: the hotel still makes sense here; none of these three models is designed for such short stays.
- Several profiles traveling at once for the same project: it’s often better to combine models based on each person’s length of stay and role, rather than forcing one format on the whole team.
What Should a Travel Manager Check Before Signing Any of These Options?
Since 2025, Spanish regulation on temporary rentals has become stricter, and this applies equally to corporate housing, coliving and flex living. Before signing, it’s worth checking:
- Official registration of the property, required under Royal Decree 1312/2024 and Spain’s Single Digital Rental Window for any short-term rental marketed through digital platforms.
- Clear justification of the temporary nature of the contract: assignment letters or project contracts help formalize the stay correctly.
- What the rate actually includes: utilities, cleaning, maintenance and check-in/check-out conditions should be in writing, not assumed.
- The provider’s ability to scale if the project grows from two people to ten without renegotiating from scratch.
At BizTrip we verify all of this before offering you any apartment: our temporary rentals in Madrid come with the required registration and a properly formalized contract, so your legal team doesn’t start from zero on every project.
Frequently Asked Questions About Corporate Housing, Coliving and Flex Living
- What’s the main difference between corporate housing and flex living? Corporate housing tends to be geared toward longer stays and relocations, with somewhat more formal contracts. Flex living prioritizes date flexibility and a rate fixed from day one, built for projects that don’t yet have a firm end date.
- Is coliving a valid option for a company? Yes, especially for junior profiles or short stays with a tighter budget, though it doesn’t replace corporate housing when the employee needs full privacy or is traveling with family.
- From what length of stay does each model start paying off? As a general rule, from about two to three weeks onward, any of the three models tends to become more cost-effective than a hotel; the choice between them depends on the employee’s profile, not just the duration.
- Are these accommodation types legal for corporate trips in Madrid? Yes, as long as they have the official registration required under Royal Decree 1312/2024 and the contract properly justifies the temporary nature of the stay.
The Decision That Saves Time and Budget
It’s not about picking the trendiest model, but the one that solves the specific project in front of you: corporate housing for relocations, coliving for junior profiles on tighter budgets, and flex living for teams and projects with an uncertain end date.
At BizTrip we’re experts in corporate mobility and help you choose between corporate housing, coliving and flex living based on the profile of each trip, with verified apartments ready for your team from day one. Talk to us and let’s solve your next temporary accommodation project in Madrid.