Tanya is 79 and owns a $2.5 million home. She lives with young housemates | SBS News

Tanya is 79 and owns a $2.5 million home. She lives with young housemates | SBS News



Tanya is 79 and owns a $2.5 million home. She lives with young housemates
Tanya says her decision to have roomies isn't driven by a desire to save money. But other older Australians have no choice — they simply can't afford to live alone.



A new survey has found people over 75 are the largest growing demographic to enter share houses. But some experts are concerned. Source: SBS News
Tanya is 79 and lives in the heart of Adelaide city. She owns a two-storey townhouse in an affluent neighbourhood worth about $2.5 million.


And she has roommates.


It might sound contradictory at first — after all, many people might automatically think roomies are an easier way to make ends meet. But Tanya doesn't see it like that.


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"I've only ever owned my own property," Tanya told SBS News. "I don't need financial easing."


At the moment, Tanya is living with two tenants who pay rent. They live downstairs in a self-contained area with their own kitchen and bathroom.


While they're rarely in each other's space (except for when Tanya needs to get to the garage), all three of them will often spend time with each other. Tanya's even putting on a Christmas lunch for them.


"I'm not doing it for company, I'm doing it because I enjoy it."


Her housemates are carefully picked through rounds of interviews; they're usually aged 25 to 35.


She said she does it because she enjoys socialising and fostering community.


"I quite enjoy people around me … I like the longevity of getting to know someone."


"People over 60 are occupying homes with one person in them, and this seems to me that a solution to the whole housing crisis would be that people consider if they had the circumstances … that they can ease someone else's financial pressure and have a few dollars for themselves," Tanya said.


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There are about 3.2 million homes in Australia with one spare bedroom, according to research from the Queensland University of Technology. An additional 3 million people have two spare rooms, while 1.2 million have three.


"I think most people should look at this as a way to give a little bit back," she said. "It's a solution socially."


A growing number of older people are sharing houses
A higher proportion of people over 55 are entering share housing, a 7 per cent increase from 2023, according to new data from Flatmates.com.au, although it didn't disclose the baseline figure.


It said the 75+ age group was the fastest-growing demographic in 2024.


Some 36 per cent of homeowners have decided to offer their home as a sharehouse for the first time in the past 12 months, while 90 per cent of the over 75 category are homeowners looking to rent out a spare room in the property.


People aged over 75 were the fastest-growing demographic demographic in 2024 to move into share houses. Source: SBS NewsClaudia Conley, product manager at Flatmates.com.au, said the increase has been driven primarily by mortgage and interest rates as homeowners look for some extra money to help with repayments.


The survey also found 57 per cent of people were struggling to meet their rent repayments over the last year, a 14 per cent rise compared to 2023.


There are multiple other reasons for the increase, according to the rental site.


36 per cent of homeowners have opened up their homes to house sharing, according to new data from Flatmates.com.au. Source: SBS News"We know that many older Australians are suffering through a loneliness epidemic, so renting out their spare room is a really great way to build friendships and get a bit of companionship as well," Conley said.


For members over 75, 90 per cent are homeowners renting out their spare room. The other 10 per cent are people seeking share house accommodation.


Most vulnerable 'reluctantly' moving into share houses
So what happens if you fall on the other side of the coin and need to move into a share house when you're older?


Fiona York is the executive officer at Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG), an organisation that provides information and advice to anybody over the age of 50 experiencing housing stress or homelessness.


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She often hears from older people who are "reluctantly" moving into share houses because they can't afford rent.


"Our frontline service receives lots of calls daily from older people who are getting massive rent increases or eviction notices," York told SBS News.


"Some of those people are in share houses where they're unhappy, or they're looking to find people to move into spare rooms because their rent has just gone up."


They've seen a 40 per cent uptick in calls for the service over the last two years and said unaffordable housing is the main reason why people are calling.


She said women are at a particularly higher risk due to the wage gap and inequality in their superannuation balances.


"These big rent rises are causing people to have to be a bit creative about how they can keep a roof over their heads," York said.

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York said she sees a lot of older people who have lived in private rentals their whole lives and have fallen out of it due to divorce or other circumstances. Others have been lifelong renters who are now struggling with finances due to exorbitant rental increases.


'Not a long-term solution'
But York cautions against looking at share housing as a viable and safe long-term solution for older people.


One HAAG client, who cannot be named for sensitivity reasons, is in his late 70s and has multiple health conditions requiring accessible housing. But his home care provider won't provide personal care at his sharehouse due to safety concerns.


Another woman in her early 70s was forced to move into a sharehouse after her husband passed away, she lost her income to illness, and her landlord evicted her after she fell into rent arrears. She moved into a sharehouse with two other people but was hit with a large rent increase eight months in, making the room unaffordable on a pension.


Other clients recall having landlords entering their rooms without notice and going through their belongings. Another pays 75 per cent of his pension on rent and is looking for a housemate to reduce the cost.


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"[Share houses] are not a very safe or comfortable place for older people, especially if you're over 75," York said.


"Some people feel really intimidated and socially isolated.


"You do have lower costs, but you might not be able to have your grandkids over or your pets, which can be really difficult.


"We're trying to get people into housing that they can stay in as long as they need to, where they have rent that's capped at 25 to 30 per cent of their income.


"A share house arrangement isn't necessarily a long-term solution … our goal is to get people to live independently in their own place that they can afford without being forced into these arrangements.


"They are making the best of it and trying to keep a roof over their head."