Supporting Affordable Co-Housing and Co-Living

People choose to live together for different reasons, whether it's to build community, share costs, and/or support one another. No matter the reason, shared living, for the purposes of this resource, means sharing space — and that always involves figuring out how to relate to one another, day by day, person to person. 

The Shared Living Guidebook incorporates resident feedback and expert insight to highlight best practices for living well together. It is intended for anyone living in a shared housing context who wants to invest in living well together. This guide is not meant to prescribe or judge social structures, norms, practices, or values; we are building a city for everyone, where diversity makes us an empowered collective. This guide is also not intended to provide legal or financial advice.

Check out the Guidebook and other shared living resources.

HOMESHARING SURVEY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SCOUT AT NORTHEASTERN

In the context of Boston’s high-cost housing market, homesharing (where a property owner rents out a room in their home) can unlock affordable housing opportunities in areas that might otherwise be cost-prohibitive, where one can achieve a greater quality of life by living closer to where they work and play while having the ability to save money and achieve one's financial goals.

The Housing Innovation Lab's prior work on homesharing revealed that there were more people looking for an affordable room to rent than there were homeowners interested in renting out a room in their home. We are surveying Boston homeowners to identify opportunities and challenges to scaling homesharing as a viable solution to our housing shortage. Are you a Boston property owner? Please consider completing our survey!