Meeting people's need through shared living

Posted on 8th Jan 2020 at 3:06 PM from Warwick, UK

We do not have to go too far back into the past for home ownership to be an alien concept for most people. It just wasn't a social norm. For most of the three decades following World War 2, council housing was a source of pride.

Home ownership for the masses came about through the policies of Margret Thatcher. So it is somewhat ironic when some to the left of politics spout that private landlords are depriving ordinary people of the opportunity to own their own home.

The truth, as usual, is far from being either black or white. It is true that in the past four decades, home ownership has been an aspiration for many. Equally, there are a significant number of people for whom those restrictions and ties simply do not make sense. The housing market needs a sensible mix of owned and rented accommodation; of single houses and shared living.

Brittany is a Canadian student teacher who came to the UK to experience the teaching environment in another country. Clearly renting was the only sensible option and living in a Lets Delight Shared Living Project was an ideal choice. Not only did she not need to get to grips with all the bills that need paying in the UK because all the bills are included, she also got to meet new people straight away that were not colleagues as she shared with three other housemates.

Another person, Abdul (not his real name), had been through a painful divorce. He was working part-time in a local takeaway when he moved into a Shared Living Project. Having the company of housemates helped him get back on his feet emotionally. Having just one payment which covered all his bills helped him with his budgeting and starting an internet business helped him with saving. After a few short years he was able to buy his own house. Abdul says he would not have been able to do this in such a short time if it wasn't for shared living.

The majority of housemates in a Lets Delight Shared Living Project are young people freshly out of college or university. They have typically started in a career but have yet to settle down geographically or to start a family. They need short-term flexibility coupled with long-term security. They need to know that, once they have paid their rent and their personal mobile bill, that everything else is fun money.

The idea that everyone wants to own their own home is a fallacy. It is easy to label landlords as pariahs feeding on hard done by tenants but the reality is that the majority of landlords provide accommodation that ordinary people want. They provide a service which is meeting the needs of people and helping them move into their next life stage regardless of where they currently are.

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