The Student Room Group

Student saves on rent by house-sharing with 95yr old

What's the age gap between you and your housemates? With Flo and Alexandra, it's 67 years!

The two moved in together after signing up to the charity Homeshare, which matches an older person who wants company at home with a younger person needing somewhere to live.

Alexandra, a masters student at the Institute of Arts in London, said:

"Flo is funny and really lovely to talk to and we’ve become good friends. We sit down and watch The Chase on TV together, we’ll sit down for a chat over a cup of tea, we’ll do some of the cleaning, it’s no different to living with friends as uni students. And she seems to go out more than I do! If we have to worry about either of us having a late night, it’s probably her."

You can read more about their situation on The Metro.


Would you share a house with a pensioner to save on rent costs?

Do you think Homeshare's a good idea?

Do you know anyone who does this?

Scroll to see replies

no, yes, no
She looks good for 95!
Reply 3
Original post by Jack22031994
She looks good for 95!


I thought so too! And apparently she's a social butterfly :parrot:
Original post by discobish
I thought so too! And apparently she's a social butterfly :parrot:


Yeah, she has a better social life than me!
Original post by discobish
What's the age gap between you and your housemates? With Flo and Alexandra, it's 67 years!

The two moved in together after signing up to the charity Homeshare, which matches an older person who wants company at home with a younger person needing somewhere to live.

Alexandra, a masters student at the Institute of Arts in London, said:

"Flo is funny and really lovely to talk to and we’ve become good friends. We sit down and watch The Chase on TV together, we’ll sit down for a chat over a cup of tea, we’ll do some of the cleaning, it’s no different to living with friends as uni students. And she seems to go out more than I do! If we have to worry about either of us having a late night, it’s probably her."

You can read more about their situation on The Metro.


Would you share a house with a pensioner to save on rent costs?

Do you think Homeshare's a good idea?

Do you know anyone who does this?


This made me smile:smile:
and i thought my 24 year old housemate was old :eek:
tbf that is quite a cute idea, saves money and keeps elderly people company
Reply 7
Original post by CoolCavy
and i thought my 24 year old housemate was old :eek:
tbf that is quite a cute idea, saves money and keeps elderly people company


24 is young goddammit :shakecane:

I know! I wish I'd done it when I lived in London!
I think this sort of thing sounds great on paper but they sometimes ask for a lot of time [e.g. 10-15 hrs a week] & a little money [usually not loads, say maybe £20,30,£40 per week or something] from the sharers... plus they usually [i think] prefer someone with a car... when you add up the value of all that time & money it's not quite so much of a bargain.
Reply 9
Original post by puffyisgood
I think this sort of thing sounds great on paper but they sometimes ask for a lot of time [e.g. 10-15 hrs a week] & a little money [usually not loads, say maybe £20,30,£40 per week or something] from the sharers... plus they usually [i think] prefer someone with a car... when you add up the value of all that time & money it's not quite so much of a bargain.


Do you mean the charity asks for these things?

As far as I'm aware, you do still have to pay rent to live in the house, it's just significantly lower than the average house-share :smile: I'm not sure about the time/car thing though...
Original post by discobish
Do you mean the charity asks for these things?

As far as I'm aware, you do still have to pay rent to live in the house, it's just significantly lower than the average house-share :smile: I'm not sure about the time/car thing though...


i think i half looked into it once - both the homeowner & the renter paid maybe a little over £100 per month to the organisers in return for them setting it up.

the hours thing is definite, they always expect 10+.

re: car - i think it's just something they often prefer, as you can imagine if it's a 90 year old who wants to go to the supermarket once a week,
Reply 11
Original post by puffyisgood
i think i half looked into it once - both the homeowner & the renter paid maybe a little over £100 per month to the organisers in return for them setting it up.

the hours thing is definite, they always expect 10+.

re: car - i think it's just something they often prefer, as you can imagine if it's a 90 year old who wants to go to the supermarket once a week,


Ahhh you're right, I've just looked at the website!

"The homesharer does not pay rent to the householder. Instead both parties pay a fee to the Homeshare scheme to cover the costs incurred in finding and supporting good matches.The homesharer may also pay a contribution to household bills.

Fees paid to Homeshare schemes vary to reflect local economies. On average a homesharer will pay £160 per month and a householder will pay £140 per month to the Homeshare scheme which represents a significant saving on accommodation and similar domestic help."

Sounds better to me than paying £700PCM for a bedroom with no windows :laugh:
It's a good idea: helps students and the elderly.

Hate to be macabre, but from a practical standpoint, I am not sure saving even 80-90% is enough for me to risk coming home and finding a 95-year-old person dead. I have seen too much already. Might make January exams a tad more complicated, when you're kicked out as the family tries to sell the home too.
Original post by discobish
Ahhh you're right, I've just looked at the website!

"The homesharer does not pay rent to the householder. Instead both parties pay a fee to the Homeshare scheme to cover the costs incurred in finding and supporting good matches.The homesharer may also pay a contribution to household bills.

Fees paid to Homeshare schemes vary to reflect local economies. On average a homesharer will pay £160 per month and a householder will pay £140 per month to the Homeshare scheme which represents a significant saving on accommodation and similar domestic help."

Sounds better to me than paying £700PCM for a bedroom with no windows :laugh:


true, though if they're expecting 15 hours a week then, if you're old enough to be on a minimum wage of £7/hr, that's c60 hrs a month, so c £420 of potential lost earnings [which would be subject to NI etc] per month, that plus your £160 per month starts to look not so very different to houseshare rates, probably with people your own age... i think the key to something like this is that you'd have to enjoy a quiet life & like the person you were caring for.
Original post by Notorious_B.I.G.
It's a good idea: helps students and the elderly.

Hate to be macabre, but from a practical standpoint, I am not sure saving even 80-90% is enough for me to risk coming home and finding a 95-year-old person dead. I have seen too much already. Might make January exams a tad more complicated, when you're kicked out as the family tries to sell the home too.


yeah. my nightmare would be clashes with the old person's children, say them viewing you suspiciously, thinking you were wanting to insert yourself into the person's will or something. on that basis i'd probably only consider it if they were in social housing [or i guess a private rental], i.e. if inheritance was unlikely to be any kind of issue.
Reply 15
this really made me smile!
In answer to your questions though - Yes I would, Yes I think it's a good idea and no i don't know anyone doing this.
Knowing my luck I'd stroll into the house in the first week and they'd bloody die on me. It's a good idea in principle though
Aww 😊 this is such a good idea, I would definitely do it for a couple of years if needed.
Imagine if you ended up getting left the house :biggrin:
Original post by discobish
Ahhh you're right, I've just looked at the website!

"The homesharer does not pay rent to the householder. Instead both parties pay a fee to the Homeshare scheme to cover the costs incurred in finding and supporting good matches.The homesharer may also pay a contribution to household bills.

Fees paid to Homeshare schemes vary to reflect local economies. On average a homesharer will pay £160 per month and a householder will pay £140 per month to the Homeshare scheme which represents a significant saving on accommodation and similar domestic help."

Sounds better to me than paying £700PCM for a bedroom with no windows :laugh:


I'd wonder if the amount of help I was expected to provide might expand unpredictably if the old persons health deteriorated - I'd expect having a lodger/helper in the house would interact with the social care system in a way that wasn't really beneficial to the oldie or me.

If you've made friends with your oldie you're going to feel bad about doing a cut and run regardless of what the contract says.

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