HomeShare Online: Find Compatible Roommates for Seniors

What’s HomeShare On-line?

HomeShare On-line, a rebranded and revamped model of a website referred to as Silvernest, goals to assist seniors discover appropriate roommates to share bills and/or chores.

The way it works

If you wish to hire out a room in your house — or hire a room in another person’s — you’ve gotten two selections right here. You’ll be able to join a free account, which has some utilization limitations. Or you may pay a month-to-month price to get free background checks, larger entry to renters (or owners), in addition to some site-specific assist, reminiscent of renter contracts.

We’ll clarify extra of the small print of the subscription plans underneath “commissions and costs” under.

Nevertheless, both method, HomeShare will ask you fill out an in depth profile that tells about your age, gender, sexual preferences, whether or not you smoke, have pets and the qualities you’re on the lookout for in a roommate. The positioning will then ask you to confirm your identification.

When you’re a home-owner, you’ll be requested to supply photographs of the house and your self. When you’re a renter, you need to ideally publish a private picture. Nevertheless, the place an ID examine is required photographs usually are not.

HomeShare On-line overview:

The concept behind HomeShare On-line, is a straightforward one. Older individuals who nonetheless personal the house that they raised households in are more likely to have additional area. In addition they are sometimes home wealthy and money poor. In any case, your retirement revenue is more likely to be lower than your working revenue. And, when you’re sustaining the massive household dwelling — probably nonetheless paying on the mortgage — that might be an financial burden.

It could be nice to share the home and bills Golden Ladies fashion. However how do you discover appropriate roommates? That’s the place this website is available in.

By asking a wide range of questions on your roommate preferences, the positioning goals to provide every potential roommate a “ShareScore,” which signifies how properly the roommate’s preferences align with your personal. This isn’t a complete, eHarmony-style match. The questions requested usually are not about what kinds of books you learn and whether or not you’re non secular or an train fanatic.

HomeShare’s questions are extra about whether or not you’re tidy and whether or not you count on the identical in a roommate. Do you smoke? Do you’ve gotten pets — and are you okay along with your roommate having pets? Ought to your roommate to be the identical gender as you? Do you’ve gotten age-preferences for roommates? Are you prepared to supply a reduction on hire in change for the roommate doing chores? And are you prepared to do chores, in change for discounted hire?

In different phrases, the positioning’s ShareScore is extra about whether or not or not you’ll kill one another after every week in the identical dwelling, not about whether or not you’re going to grow to be besties.

Charges and commissions

You’ll be able to entry most points of this website without cost. This consists of posting a profile (for each owners and renters) and speaking with as many householders and renters as you need.

If owners go for a premium membership right here, they’ll pay $24.95 a month. This subscription routinely renews.

Renters, who select a premium subscription pay $14.95 a month. This subscription additionally routinely renews.

Nevertheless, the primary advantage of a premium membership is that the $29.99 background examine, you can order as a home-owner or renter on the free plan, is included within the premium plan.

Owners additionally get entry to a renter settlement you can customise to your state of affairs.

We don’t see how that’s sufficient to justify the subscription worth, until you subscribe for only a month for the free background examine and (doubtlessly) the rental settlement, after which cancel.

Notably, once we first reviewed Silvernest — HomeShare’s predecessor firm, the premium membership provided significantly extra advantages to owners, together with hire assortment and a few authorized recommendation on coping with renters. As a former landlord, I believed the hire assortment and authorized recommendation parts made the paid plan properly definitely worth the worth.

Now that much less is included, we don’t suggest the paid subscription.

Background checks

Notably, the background screening doesn’t embrace a credit score examine. Owners ought to get a credit score examine on their renters, too. (Right here’s a great story that runs by means of the steps: How to run a credit check on a renter.)

One warning

Someplace across the time the positioning was rebranded to HomeShare On-line from Silvernest, the positioning additionally grew to become owned by Finance of America Reverse. FAR is a reverse mortgage lender. (Reverse mortgages are an costly product that permit seniors to take fairness from their properties with the promise that will probably be paid again once they die or transfer.)

HomeShare On-line’s phrases state that the corporate can share buyer data with Finance of America Reverse. So, it’s unclear whether or not registering right here as a home-owner leaves you open to gross sales pitches from FAR.

Suggestions:

We like this website for the free providers, however now not suggest the paid plan.

The variety of rental choices additionally appears far much less sturdy than it did once we initially reviewed the positioning in 2021. It nonetheless could also be a good place to discover a long-term renter. And, definitely, it doesn’t damage to examine right here when you should utilize the positioning without cost. You’ll be able to sign up with HomeShare Online here.

Nevertheless, when you’re excited about a extra non permanent association — say a month or two — check out SabbaticalHomes, which focuses on mid-term leases to educators. One other good choice, Furnished Finder, focuses on discovering one-to-three-month leases for touring nurses.

If you wish to simply hire a room or two to short-term visitors, our prime advice is Airbnb.

What their prospects say: (from the BBB)

I used Silvernest to search out my father a housemate when he may now not afford his hire, and it has allowed my dad to remain in his dwelling and age in place. This service felt very safe and we appreciated the choice to ask for a background examine on the housemate.

Landlord has Alzheimer’s dementia. Fixed invasion of privateness. Snooping by means of my room, inspecting my trash that has physique waste in it and demanding solutions as to what’s in it. Filling washer with water and leaving it. Washing garments day-after-day. Silvernest does nothing to guard the renters.

Up to date 5/8/2024