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UK housing participation is no longer just a problem for young people.
More and more people over 50 in the UK are living in a shared flat or house due to the increase in rental rates.
According to the country’s largest shared rental website -SpareRoom-, since 2011 there has been an increase in 239% in people aged 55-64 years looking for a common place to live, while the increase was 114% for the 45-54 age group.
However, the majority of people looking for this type of housing are between the ages of 25 and 34.
house for 13
Karen Miles, a 66-year-old woman, moved into a house with 13 people 5 years ago to save money.
She was living in a two-bedroom flat on the outskirts of Eastbourne in southeast England, but she was starting to have trouble paying her rent and bills.
The ages of his roommates range from 20 to 50 years old.
image source, Getty Images
While everyone gets along, they don’t tend to mingle together, and Karen, who works part-time as a housekeeper, says hanging out with younger people can be a problem.
Previously had issues with some annoying roommates and the shared kitchen and bathroom can get dirty quickly.
However, he acknowledges that living with others is his too Benefits, Like having someone nearby to talk to.
“If I moved somewhere on my own, I think I would probably feel a little lonely,” she told the BBC.
Tenants “for life”
Karen is trying to find a one-bedroom apartment for rent, but with the prices rising, she has had a hard time finding an affordable apartment.
She would also like to share with friends, but says it can be difficult for older people to find someone of the same age to rent with.
“My friends have husbands and families, so it’s tough,” she explains to the BBC.
image source, Getty Images
Many seniors have great difficulty paying their rent and bills.
Spear Room’s director of communications, Matt Hutchinson, says the main reason more seniors are sharing the home is affordability.
As he told BBC News, the rising cost of renting and buying a home means more people are sharing for longer and becoming ‘lifetime tenants’, while people who have ended long relationships may have bought or rented a one-bedroom in the first place. Now they can no longer do that.
Hutchinson thinks so trend will continue Where housing and other costs will rise even more.
Sarah Coles, a personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown finance firm, says official numbers also suggest renters are getting older.
He added that figures issued by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicate that the cost of living crisis is felt more by tenants than owners, as they spend a higher proportion of their income on housing.
stigma
In addition to the difficulties in finding other people of the same age to share a home with, many suffer from the fact that there is still a stigma attached to the fact that Live in a co-location since a certain age.
image source, Susan Labourne
Susan was living on her own, but started sharing the house to save money.
Susan Laiburn, a 58-year-old who moved into shared accommodation to save money in March 2020, says she initially felt “almost embarrassed” that she couldn’t afford the rent on her own.
“I’ve accepted it now and I’m trying to see what’s positive in it, not negative,” he says.
image source, Getty Images
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