Co-sharing Housing for Independent Seniors. Interested?

Could a co-sharing housing scheme work for you?  Could this be the ticket to your retirement accommodation conundrum?  Please complete the survey within the article as the author wishes to establish interest in this concept?

Could a co-sharing housing scheme work for you?  Could this be the ticket to your retirement accommodation conundrum? 

Let’s take a look at co-sharing – what’s it all about?

We know that the demand for retirement accommodation is real.  The demand in certain areas exceeds what facilities can accommodate, with waiting lists that can run to two years or more. With 5.3 million 60plussers in South Africa, estimated to double or triple by the year 2050, it is not surprising that accommodation in retirement has become an enormous issue in this country.  And it will get worse.  Long waiting lists aside, it seems that retirees are looking for alternative options in their senior years!  Let’s look at this interesting trend gaining popularity – co-sharing in retirement!

You may well be used to the concept of co-sharing.  Many of us have lived in shared households over the years.  Communes were really popular and cost-effective in the sixties and seventies.

Senior co-housing originated in Denmark in the early sixties, gaining popularity around the world in recent years.  Co-housing is an established part of the housing mix in the Netherlands and Sweden and is supported by government.  The idea is well and truly planted in the US, Canada, Japan and Australia and New Zealand especially since the economic downturn and the cost of living rising so astronomically.

YEI has extensively covered the topic of co-housing/co-living/co-sharing/senior house-sharing – we’ve spoken about the pros and cons of senior house-sharing, the to-do’s, and not to-do’s when it comes to property sharing.  YEI has featured articles on sharing homes with other seniors from a tenant’s perspective, and from a landlord’s perspective.  YEI has debated the topic of whether retired roomies could be the answer to affordable retirement living.  YEI has spoken to a landlord, and a senior who is sharing a home, in a podcast. 

Julie Stigling is in the throes of establishing a co-sharing housing project in Cape Town for Independent Seniors aged 60+.  She needs your help in establishing the kind of interest there is in this kind of living.  If you are an independent 60-plusser and considering co-sharing, would you be so kind as to respond to her survey below.

Please note that this is not a guarantee of accommodation in a co-sharing home – this survey is being conducted in order to establish the kind of interest that there may be in this kind of living.

• Your name and contact details will be forwarded to Julie Stigling, who may contact you in this regard.  She has agreed that your data will be handled with utmost confidentiality.  
• Please note that none of the above fields are mandatory, but if you would like to be contacted in this regard, please supply your preferred contact details in the relevant field above.
• If you are interested in this option of independent living, YEI highly recommends that you conduct thorough and intense research before making any decisions.
• Please note that a thorough process will be conducted into any potential applicant for this independent senior living accommodation.
• YEI would highly recommend that should you require any financial, investment, tax, legal, medical or any advice of a professional nature, that you consult your own professional adviser to obtain independent advice in keeping with your own particular situation.
• Please note that any article and/or survey featured on YEI is not to be considered as an endorsement of the product/offer.
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