Pensioners are increasingly flat-sharing as they struggle to stay financially afloat whilst amid the record cost of living strain and low income.
The English Housing Survey (EHS) shows that while six per cent of over 65s are currently in the living situation, this will rise to 17 per cent by 2040 according to the Pensions Policy Institute.
SpareRoom reports that users aged over-55 made up 2.7 per cent of its membership a decade ago.
The figure has now increased to 7.1 per cent.
Behind the numbers are older renters reporting rising housing costs, low pension income, and a market that many experts say was never designed for people seeking shared accommodation later in life.
Deborah Herring, 65, spent her career teaching religious studies at a private boarding school.
She says: “In their nice, expensive Oxfordshire village, I think they’d be frankly horrified.”
The retired teacher recently returned home to find two strangers asleep on her sofa.
Pensioners are increasingly flat-sharing as retirees struggle to stay afloat amid record living costs and low incomes
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She say she has to cope with an overflowing litter tray belonging to someone else’s can, and is moving from a two-bedroom flat-share to a four-bedroom one in Bermondsey.
Ms Herring expects she will be living with much younger flatmates whose combined ages may not even match hers.
The teacher’s pension she receives alongside working part-time as an A-level examiner cover £1,000 monthly rent, along with the occasional theatre outing.
Andreas Savva, 68, also rents in London.
He pays £800 a month for a mould-ridden house in the East-End.
The living conditions have been difficult to adjust to for pensioners flat-sharing
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“I hate the idea of sharing, but I’ve got no choice.”
Nick Henley, co-founder of Cohabitas, told Sky News the demand has shifted sharply.
“Seventy-five per cent of people mentioned that it is to do with financial reasons as the primary reason.”
He adds: “But 25 per cent say that it’s a social factor.”
Mr Henley, who is in his 60s, says economic pressures are pushing older renters into shared homes.
The Labour Government has acknowledged it will not reach its target of 1.5million new homes.
This means housing shortages are likely to continue into the next parliament.
The pension system adds further strain.
Anna Brain, senior policy researcher at the Pensions Policy Institute, says: “The UK pension system is based on the assumption that people reach retirement without housing costs.”
She adds: “There’s a huge concern that people aren’t saving enough.”
Older renters say the market can be unforgiving.
Tamara Kocsubej, 63, who works for a charity, spends hours checking SpareRoom for new listings.
“I’m checking it all day, every day.”
She says younger flatmates have made comments about her age, and the situation made her feel uncomfortable in her own home.
“At the end of every day, I didn’t want to go back.
“I never used to live with a closed door, now, I close my door all the time.”
Older residents struggle to live alongside student-age flatmates
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Age UK reports that 44 per cent of people over 50 worry about accessibility in their housing.
Lisabel Miles, housing policy manager at Age UK, says: “The vast majority of older people will be living in mainstream homes, not in some kind of specialist unit.”
She says many properties are difficult to adapt.
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