How Cohabs centralized payroll across 7 countries with Deel

Cohabs is redefining urban living through co-living spaces that foster vibrant communities. From day one, their vision was global, and they achieved it quickly, expanding across six European countries and the US.

But behind the scenes, managing HR and payroll across seven countries was anything but seamless. When Akésia Doubrere stepped in as Cohabs’ first-and-only HR lead, she inherited a patchwork system. Each city manager had their own way of running payroll.

In core markets like Belgium and France, Cohabs relied on local providers. In others, payroll was managed by accountants or shared spreadsheets. There was no centralized system, no oversight, and no confidence in compliance.

With 130 employees across nine cities, staying compliant with local labor laws was critical, but increasingly complex. Akésia knew she needed three things:

• Local HR and payroll expertise in every country
• Centralized control over payroll
• Global visibility into HR operations

She was confident in navigating Belgian, French, and UK regulations, but lacked deep knowledge of the laws in Spain, Italy, and the US. Hiring a local expert in every country wasn’t feasible, and even if it were, it wouldn’t solve the need for global oversight and standardization.

“The goal was to find not only tools to help me with HR and payroll, but a partner we can trust to handle compliance and keep us on track. Deel was the right choice.” — Akésia Doubrere, HR Manager, Cohabs

After evaluating four platforms, Deel stood out. With its in-house payroll infrastructure, global compliance coverage, and intuitive HRIS, Deel offered exactly what Cohabs needed: one platform to replace seven fragmented systems.

Within four months, Cohabs successfully implemented Deel Global Payroll across five countries, with France and the US following shortly after.

“Everyone told me I was crazy to switch seven payrolls in under six months, given that I am a solo HR team—but Deel made it happen.” — Akésia Doubrere, HR Manager, Cohabs

By expanding HR capabilities without growing headcount, Deel saves Cohabs an estimated 960 hours of admin work every month. According to Akésia, payroll time will be cut in half by the end of 2025, freeing her up to focus on strategic projects.

Deel brought structure and visibility to a previously fragmented system. With real-time oversight, automation, and proactive compliance alerts, Akésia no longer relies on spreadsheets or assumptions.

“With Deel, I finally have visibility across every country. We’re compliant, reporting is centralized, and I can focus on people instead of chasing payroll across seven spreadsheets.” — Akésia Doubrere, HR Manager, Cohabs

City managers are no longer burdened by payroll, finance has better cost control, and employees enjoy accurate payslips and intuitive features. Time-off tracking has been especially valuable, replacing a clunky shared Excel file.

“Thanks to Deel, employees finally know how much leave they have and can request time off in a few clicks. It’s night and day.” — Akésia Doubrere, HR Manager, Cohabs

Deel also keeps Cohabs ahead of compliance changes, like flagging and applying a regulation update in Luxembourg automatically.

“I’m not an expert in every country’s laws. Deel’s Compliance Hub and human advisors help us stay compliant without the guesswork.” — Akésia Doubrere, HR Manager, Cohabs

Scaling into the US with Deel PEO

As Cohabs expanded across the US, managing state-by-state compliance became increasingly complex. Deel PEO gave them a centralized structure to stay compliant and avoid classification errors, without building a US HR team from scratch.

“The biggest difference between Europe and the US is the benefits. Deel PEO helps us bridge that gap and give our US team what they deserve.” — Akésia Doubrere, HR Manager, Cohabs

She also emphasized the cultural importance of benefits parity. Many of Cohabs’ US employees are French, and expectations around healthcare, paid leave, and protections were significantly misaligned before Deel PEO.

“I want our French employees based in the US to have the same level of benefits they’d expect back home. Deel PEO makes that possible.” —Akésia Doubrere, HR Manager, Cohabs

By shifting to Deel PEO, Cohabs ensured each new hire is aligned with their state’s requirements, properly classified, and eligible for competitive benefits, all without building out a separate HR function in the US.