Family at the heart of an innovative lifestyle
Intergenerational home – Family at the heart of an innovative lifestyle based on the values of caring and sharing
Rest assured, we don’t talk about living at your parents’ house like when you were 17. Rather, it’s more about sharing a house, but still having some privacy while living at the same address. An intergenerational home – or bi generational – is a single family home in which an additional and independent accommodation has been added, but smaller in order to help each other socially and financially.
That being said, this definition could equally well apply to siblings or members of the same family willing to share a home without seeing each other every day in the common areas. The primary reasons for intergenerational housing are to share responsibilities resulting from ownership, helping each other, exchanging and communicating more easily.
This innovative lifestyle is becoming more common because it offers many advantages for both parents and “children.”
- Allows for the assistance and exchange of services
- Allows for the sharing of ongoing charges and tasks relating to the maintenance of a property
- Protects the family legacy and offers various financial formulas
- Maintains the privacy of both parties
- Promotes closeness and autonomy of parents
- Provides home support for elderly parents or persons with reduced autonomy
- Allows seniors to age in a familiar environment close to their relatives
- Provides a positive response to security needs, emotional needs and communication needs
- Maintains a strong bond and an active communication between family members
- Establishes a balance between the generations of the same family
Different from multi housing, intergenerational house retains its paces as a conventional single-family home and its address remains the same. Services are often charged at a single address, so communication between residents must be healthy and active. Even the mortgage is shared, although many options are also available. The possibilities are endless and anyone can find their happiness.
When taking part in such a project, it is important to discuss legal and financial issues, not to mention the question of “what happens next”. The contractual terms of the agreement and the compliance with laws and regulations must be anticipated. Recently, several municipalities got more flexible regulations to accommodate people who want to transform their homes into intergenerational home. If one wishes to undertake such proceedings and renovations, the municipality must first be consulted because the rules can differ from a city to another.
This form of house sharing between members of the same family will certainly increase in the coming years. With the population aging and the recurrent scandals about retirement houses, many people prefer to get together to enjoy a better quality of life. Moreover, an increasing number of building contractors and real estate developers are now offering new models of houses such as these ones. To know more on entrepreneurs offering this formula, see www.ProjetHabitation.com, the directory specialized in new housing in Quebec, or search on the Register of RBQ license holders.
Source: Société d’habitation du Québec