Recruitment process at La Casa: what happens when a roommate leaves their coliving room?
As in all shared accommodations, there comes a day when a roommate leaves La Casa for new adventures. But what happens when a room becomes available and how is the future new roommate chosen? To find out how it works in this case, follow the guide!
Recruitment process at La Casa: what happens when a roommate leaves their coliving room?
New job, desire to leave Paris, moving in with a partner, buying a house... These are the main reasons given by roommates when they leave La Casa.
Fun fact: 30% of our departures are roommates who move in with a significant other they met in the InterCasas community 😊
In case of departure, as with any typical furnished accommodation, a notice must be sent one month before the desired departure date. Often, roommates notify the staff more than a month in advance of their departure: this allows us to start looking for candidates in advance. The goal is then to find enthusiastic profiles and present them to the community so that it is complete again.
The staff validates the candidates' motivation in advance.
The staff takes the time to discuss with the roommates to get ideas about the profile of candidates they wish to meet to replace their roommate. Of course, it is important to keep in mind that tolerance and open-mindedness are the rule: the main goal is to find motivated individuals. A vacant room often attracts interest, resulting in numerous applications. Candidates interested in coliving therefore apply for their dream La Casa by first filling out the form on the website, then scheduling a video call with the staff. At La Casa, we aim to offer as human an experience as possible. Gone are the days of impersonal phone calls, replaced by video conferencing! This allows for a more pleasant conversation and a more direct meeting: this step reassures the candidate who can then ask all their questions, and allows the staff to validate their motivations. At the end of this exchange, the staff decides - or not - to validate the candidate's application. If a visit to a Casa is planned in the coming days, the staff then offers the candidate to participate.
It's the roommates who refer their new roommate!
In most of our houses, candidates are connected with the roommates of the houses they are interested in. For this, we rely on Co-optation Referees, two "delegates" among the Roommates who are responsible for coordinating visits to their house. This visit usually takes the form of a gathering in La Casa. It's an opportunity for candidates to tour the house, see the available rooms, and ask the roommates all their questions! If the video call with the staff is the opportunity to discuss all technical subjects (security deposit, co-optation, service management, lease, etc.), the visit is the moment to discover what the "real" life at La Casa is like with those who live there every day. After leaving the visit or at least before noon the next day, the candidate must confirm to the staff their application for La Casa to validate their interest. Why such a short delay? Simply because from the next day, the roommates they met will have 24 hours to choose which candidate they prefer.
The entire community is organized to provide candidates with a quick response.
15 roommates for La Casa des Chefs de Rosny, 13 for La Casa du Cinéma, 18 for La Casa Verte de Saint-Maur... that's a lot of people who need to discuss and agree! Nothing worse for roommates than being responsive and voting quickly, only to find out that the chosen person doesn't want to continue the adventure with them. This responsiveness is also there to help candidates, who are mostly actively looking for housing and therefore need a quick response :) In short, nothing too complicated, but smooth and responsive communication is always the key at La Casa!
Following the vote, if the chosen candidate confirms their move-in, the staff reaches out to them to handle the administrative part and prepare everything for their arrival. It's not uncommon for a candidate to visit a Casa at the beginning of the week, receive their answer on Wednesday, and move in the following weekend. As for the roommates, they just have to welcome their new roommate, as the staff takes care of all the logistics.
Onboarding is planned for new roommates
Joining an already formed community in a new house and experiencing coliving is a lot to handle at once for a new roommate. Therefore, the staff takes care to remain particularly attentive to newcomers to ensure they integrate as smoothly as possible into their Casa. Interested in joining a Casa?
