From midnight gossips to vetting housemates, Bibi Lynch has seen it all as a mid-life renter. With a dramatic rise in the number of people in her position, she shares her hard-won advice.
During the past three years, I’ve moved ‘home’ 19 times. (The killer figure is actually 30 times in the last decade – but let’s not make this depressing.) I’ve lived in flat-shares and house-shares and I’ve done my fair share of house-sitting, too.
Why this nomadic lifestyle? Was I trying to live out some romantic free-spirit, sofa-surfing adventure while my 52-year-old back could still handle it? No. This non-stop moving was a result of the recession, the housing crisis and ‘life’. An unholy trinity affecting many – midlife renters are a growing tribe.
According to flat-sharing website spareroom.co.uk, over-55s are the fastest-growing group of flat-sharers in the UK. In fact, in its most recent stats, it found the over-65s are growing faster than the 55-64 demographic (although they’re only a tiny percentage of flat-sharers overall). The 55-64 bracket were up 263% over five years, while the overall trend in flat-sharers over the same period was up 133%.
Why is this happening? And who are these older renters? Matt Hutchinson, SpareRoom’s director, explains, ‘It’s partly driven by people coming out of long-term relationships, or facing other life-changing circumstances, and realising they can’t afford to rent on their own. Many of them find themselves sharing for the first time in years – or the first time ever – in their 40s and 50s. And alongside them are the people who have always rented because they simply can’t afford to get on to the property ladder.’
Snap decisions
Denne historien er fra November 05, 2018-utgaven av WOMAN - UK.
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Denne historien er fra November 05, 2018-utgaven av WOMAN - UK.
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