Ageing, Work and Housing: Could Homeshare Be Part of the Answer?

A discussion about changing working lives, affordable housing and human connection

People are living and working for longer, but the way we think about later life has not always kept pace. The Centre for Ageing Better notes that one in three UK workers is now over 50, while careers, health and finances no longer follow a simple path from full-time work to retirement.

Work, housing and financial security are connected

For people in their 50s and 60s, housing costs can influence decisions about retraining, relocating, reducing hours or returning to employment. At the same time, many older people live alone in homes with spare bedrooms. They may not need care, but could welcome companionship, practical help and the reassurance of another person being around.

Could Homeshare offer another option?

Homeshare brings together a person with a spare room and someone looking for affordable accommodation. The Householder receives agreed companionship and practical help, while the Homesharer gains access to lower-cost accommodation. It is not a care arrangement; it is mutually beneficial shared living with clear expectations and boundaries.

Who can be a Homesharer?

Homeshare is often imagined as an arrangement between an older Householder and a young student. But a Homesharer could equally be someone in their 40s, 50s or 60s who is working, retraining, relocating or simply looking for a more affordable and sociable way to live.

Age-friendly communities are about connection

Age-friendly communities are not only about buildings. They are also about helping people stay connected, participate in everyday life and retain choice over how they live. Sometimes the resources already exist: one person has a spare room and would value companionship, while another needs an affordable place to live and is happy to contribute time and practical support.

A wider conversation worth having

Homeshare will not solve the housing crisis, loneliness or the barriers faced by older workers. But it sits at an interesting intersection between all three. As working lives become less predictable and more people seek to remain independent at home for longer, housing models that create value through connection deserve a bigger place in the conversation.

“Sometimes the opportunity is simply to connect two people whose needs complement each other.”

Discussion source: Centre for Ageing Better – Work (ageing-better.org.uk/work).

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