Preparing for Homesharing

Now that you’ve thought about the pros and cons of homesharing, and whether or not it’s right for you, it’s time to think in more detail about what arrangement you’d like or be willing to live with. While the idea of sharing a home may be daunting to some, there are a variety of arrangements, methods of communication, and boundaries that can make home sharing a viable option for many people.

For example, arrangements for rent payments, distribution of household tasks and privacy look different for each homeshare. Even if there is not an official task exchange in your homeshare, you’ll still need to navigate household chores with your housemate, so these concepts are important, regardless.

Task Exchanges

It can help to think of home sharing as a spectrum: on one end, a new resident would pay rent along with their portion of the utilities and the homeowner would take care of everything else, including household cleaning and maintenance, similar to a traditional landlord-tenant relationship. On the other end of the spectrum could be a dynamic where a new resident trades maintenance work and services, such as assuming a caretaker role, for a lesser or entirely covered rent payment. Generally, the more tasks someone performs for their housemate, the less the rent they would pay. Providers should keep in mind that a housemate and a care provider are not the same. Housemates have their own lives and will not always be available to help right when you may need them. If you need a care provider, someone whose sole focus is you and your needs, you’ll want to be prepared to hire a caregiver, in addition to finding a housemate.

The task exchange continuum.

Some examples of tasks that home providers might ask of potential housemates include: 

• Driving

• Shopping

• Food preparation

• Yard work

• Companionship

• More extensive cleaning (window washing, shampooing rugs, etc.)

Maintaining Privacy

Home sharing doesn’t mean that every room in the home must be available to all its occupants all the time. It’s ok for the home provider to establish private areas. Providers and Seekers should both have private spaces that the other party respects.

In addition to private spaces, It’s also fine to have expectations for private time. Living in the same house does not obligate anyone to become BFFs (best friends forever).

It is also possible to retrofit a home to provide higher levels of privacy by building walls, separate entrances, kitchenettes (rather than having a shared kitchen), and private outdoor spaces.*

*Note: While some modifications can be done with ease, some are more complex and require permits from your local building department. Structural and utility modifications are essential to have done by skilled and licensed workers. Check local requirements and work with trusted contractors.

See the 10 Tips for Maintaining Privacy post next!

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