Are you looking for affordable accommodation? Homeshare is a great way to find high-quality affordable accommodation and help build better communities.
Homeshare organisations match people who need accommodation (Homesharer) with people who have a spare room and would like companionship and practical support (Householder).
Homeshare works best if you don’t need housing immediately and have a little time to find the right match. On average the matching process takes 8 weeks.
There are many benefits to becoming a Homesharer such as:
- you have access to high-quality, affordable accommodation
- you help to improve the life of another person by living sociably and helping out around the house
- you make new friends and create a sense of community.
Is Homesharing for you?
Take a short quiz to find out a bit more about what Homesharing will be like and see if might work for you…
How it works
Are you happy to share 10 hours a week of your time? Homeshare works on the simple idea that you provide around 10 hours of support to someone who needs help to live independently (the householder), plus some friendly companionship, in exchange for accommodation.
As a Homesharer, the support you would provide could include caring for pets, cleaning, reading, cooking, shopping or gardening (no personal or nursing care is involved). Together with the Householder, you will agree the type of support you will provide.
A Homeshare Organisation will find you a suitable match based on things you have in common, location and lifestyle. They will arrange opportunities for you to meet in person and see the accommodation before making a decison. Once you both agree to move in, an agreement will be drawn up which outlines roles and responsibilities for each party.
What does it Cost?
The Homeshare organisation that arranges your match charges a monthly fee to cover the cost of their services. This cost varies but is roughly between £150-£200 per month. All organisations set their own fees so contact direct to make enquiries: Find a Homeshare Provider
You may also agree with the Householder to contribute to household bills.
Find out more about the Homeshare process.
Apply
There are several Homeshare schemes throughout the UK and in Ireland. To check if there is a scheme near you, go to find a Homeshare scheme. You must be over the age of 18 years old and willing to take a DBS check to take part in Homeshare. The average length of a Homeshare match is 12 months.