Actually, in France, it would be illegal to rent such a place for housing (as apartments have to have at least a main room that is more than 9m²), even for students.
Some people just need a bed and a bathroom.
Myself, I used to be very active in this scene before eventually making the leap into bicycle touring, where I continue to work from my tent or rural cafes. I regularly meet other cyclists who are digital nomads. It's pretty neat that thanks to 3G internet access being so plentiful, you can tour some of Earth's most beautiful landscapes almost self-sufficiently and still put in at least a couple of hours of work a day. The only hassles is finding places to charge electronics.
I think it's supposed to be 9m2 for one person and 16m2 for a couple by law.