As the cost of living continues to rise, more seniors find themselves navigating the private rental market, often forced to make difficult choices about their housing situations. This growing trend is exemplified by the stories of three individuals: Tamara Kocsubej, Deborah Herring, and Andreas Savva, each of whom faces unique challenges in their quest for suitable accommodation.
For Tamara Kocsubej, a 63-year-old charity worker from Ukraine, she has spent much of her life fighting for the right conditions to live in. After 12 years of living happily in her beloved bedsit, financial difficulties proved insurmountable. This meant that she had to enter into communal living. At the same time, Deborah Herring, a retired schoolteacher who draws a pension, struggles with her homeownership issue as well. Her modest salary as an A level examiner allows her to pay £1,000 a month rent. What she has come to terms with is the reality that no one can have the space all to themselves.
Andreas Savva, who grew up in Cyprus, faces big obstacles. He contends with ankylosing spondylitis, adding an additional challenge to his work in patient transport. He has been living in mouldy conditions and looks forward to finding a new, healthy home. Although workable, he finds it hard to make ends meet on his monthly budget of £800. This alarming trend points to a larger, systemic issue. According to our Personal Finance Initiative (PPI), people will require £180,000 more in their pension pot to rent a one bed-flat comfortably in retirement.
The share of people aged 65 and over in the private rented sector has remained relatively stable. This trend has persisted for the past two decades. The stories of Kocsubej, Herring, and Savva highlight the growing challenges that older Americans are now facing in this competitive market.
Kocsubej constantly refreshes her SpareRoom account for new rooms, and says she’s tired of seeing so few available.
“I don’t want to live alone. But everywhere I look, people are in their 20s,” she stated, highlighting the generational gap that complicates her search.
Her experience here has led her to consider returning permanently to Hungary. At the same time she understands that her life is very much tied to the UK. “It’s making me wonder whether I should go back to Hungary. All of my life is here,” she said.
Architect Deborah Herring finds herself taking up residence in a former commercial mixed-use block of flats in Bermondsey, south London. Even after five children and two former husbands, she can look back on these survival experiences and recognize the importance of community calling in her life.
“It’s just nice knowing there are bodies around,” Herring remarked.
His quality will be important as she holds down the economic beat, but gets to act on the occasional theatre impulse. Her decision to co-locate is indicative of a larger movement. Today, fewer seniors can afford to live independently.
“I’ve got to think about it as the chance to do something new and different – not as a comedown in the world,” she explained.
Andreas Savva’s challenges with his severe health condition create an additional barrier on top of a housing hunt that’s already been unforgiving. Savva had been living rent-free in his now-dead brother’s house. Now, like any other formerly incarcerated person, he is up against the hard reality of needing appropriate housing.
The idea of having to share a unit is frightening for him, especially if he has to share a bathroom or kitchen.
“I hate the idea of sharing,” he admitted.
For Savva, financial constraints preclude many of the options open to others in London. He writes about how in that search, ugly and humiliating though it was, he came to identify as desperate.
“I hate the idea of a place where there are so many people using the toilet and the kitchen,” he expressed.
Lisabel Miles is a senior policy advisor for housing with the AARP Public Policy Institute. She points out that conversations about elder housing often focus on supported living communities.
“I should be retired, but I’m paying rent,” he lamented.
What she’s keen to underscore is that the majority of older adults are going to be living in typical, mainstream homes, not specialized units.
“When people talk about older people’s housing, they very often think of supported living,” Miles noted.
This reality has created an especially difficult housing space for seniors such as Kocsubej, Herring and Savva. As they navigate various challenges—from health issues to financial constraints—they represent a growing demographic facing an uncertain future in housing.
“Actually, the vast majority of older people will be living in mainstream homes – not in some kind of specialist unit,” Miles elaborated.
This reality further complicates the housing landscape for seniors like Kocsubej, Herring, and Savva. As they navigate various challenges—from health issues to financial constraints—they represent a growing demographic facing an uncertain future in housing.