[Reuben]

We are always hearing from people looking for someone older to rent a room in their house. And sharehousing could be a great solution – sharing space, rent, and bills, can make things a lot more affordable.

But sometimes people have pretty terrible experiences in sharehouse. They may be less safe, and usually, sharehousing means renting off a private landlord with no lease agreement. For older people, it might not provide the security we need? What is it really like as an older person living in a sharehouse? There is a seperate topic here to share experiences of living in sharehousing.

But surely there must be solutions to get the benefits of sharehousing without the potential insecurity and conflict. Have people heard of models that work well for renters?

Lets use this topic to share different models and examples.

[Karen Deegan]

Hello Reuben, I am sure you have already heard of this organisation but just in case you haven’t, Homeshare Australia.

A proven model supports the elderly to remain at home

It is based on an international model of brokering a relationship between a home owner and a homesharer, they assist to create a mutually beneficial relationship and are available during the time of people sharing a home if there are any issues that need a third party to resolve.

It has great success and is a really great model to create very affordable housing solutions for people and it can be a program that can create affordable housing faster than building it.

I have worked on a project with a community organisation in Geelong to also create house designs that make it easier for people to live together, ie. two kitchens, two lounge rooms, two living rooms.

[Reuben]

Thanks Karen. I really like this idea, I love living in sharehouses myself, and without the precarity of renting, hope I still can when I’m older. I suppose this Homeshare model would usually involve an older homeowner sharing with a younger renter? Definitely seems like it could be a win-win for many people. But if the roles reversed and older person wasn’t the home owner, I don’t imagine it would provide much security for them? Or maybe this is just a misconception?

[Diane Roberts]

hi Ruben

A friend and I began sharing a house 3 years ago. We were not sure what to expect as we are both independent women who were used to renting alone. But it was too expensive to do that anymore. We found setting out our ‘must haves’ and ‘prefer’ before looking at houses gave us a clear idea of each other and what would make it work. For instance- separate bathrooms were a must for us. And we both needed separate living areas- we need our own space.I needed an animal lover. She is. She needed more rooms/ space than I did. We agreed sharing a kitchen was ok as neither are really interested in cooking. We found a 5 bed 2bath double garage house that had a layout that worked. I got the front of the house with 1bedroom, lounge and bathroom. Kitchen and laundry inbetween. The back 4 bedrooms  and bathroom are her space. So she has a bedroom, a lounge a painting studio/room and a spare. We share the garden.

It works really well because we have that separation. It’s like a duplex or apartments. We see each other when we want to. But we took our time to look for this setup. We actually found three houses that we could divide in some way, but this was the best. So it is do-able even if you want to retain your own space. You do have to share bills, so setting up a transparent account is good. We intend to continue sharing as it not just less costly but it also offers safety and security. There is someone there in case you need them. Funny thing is she realises she needs less space now and so we will be looking for something smaller and even less expensive again. Even here, this house still costs us far less than two separate units would have!

The thing is planning. I think there should be a rental system in place for older people like this. One that shows houses that can be split into two with own bathrooms and just share a kitchen. (we actually have our own kettles and microwaves etcin our separate loungesas well.)

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