Share housing for over 55s is now the fastest growing demographic

With the supply of housing, the cost of living rising and the dearth of retirement living communities in the centre of capital cities, people over 55 are learning to live with each other.

“Members over the age of 55 are the fastest growing demographic on flatmates.com.au. 13% of the audience was over the age of 55 as of February 2023. Of these members, one third was looking for accommodation and two thirds were offering accommodation,” said a spokeswoman for Melbourne-based REA Group.

The number of mortgage-free retirees has slipped from 79% in 2004 to 74% in 2018 and there has been a slight increase in the number of over-65s who are privately renting: 14% in 2018 compared to 12% in 2001.

The benefits of shared houses are plentiful: there is companionship, the bills will be shared, and there is security.

In 2009, yoga teacher Eve Grzybowski, now, 78, and her husband Daniel teamed up with two other senior couples to purchase a 1.6hec property on Mitchells Island on the NSW Mid North Coast.

The six pensioners, all best friends for decades, pooled their resources to build their collective dream home.

“I think there is something in people that is tribal,” Eve said. “When we were all thinking about the future and inevitably retiring away from the city, this simple arrangement was just the best way to support each other.”