The rise in rental prices in Spain, added to the record high housing prices that make purchasing a property unthinkable, are forcing many people to radically change their way of living. What was once a common solution among students and young workers has now also become a necessity for many retirees with low pensions who are forced to share a flat.
If we go to the big cities, where the price of real estate is even more unaffordable, paying rent alone seems like another planet and not even pensioners who have their lives figured out (supposedly) can do it. In some cases, the only alternative is to rent a room and live with strangers to reduce expenses.
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This is the situation of Tomasa Alberto, a 70-year-old retiree who told her story on the program ‘Herrera at COPE’. His testimony reflects how the housing problem already fully affects older people with very limited incomes.
“I pay 250 euros for a room and my pension is 650 euros”
Tomasa explains that he currently lives in a shared apartment with another woman and two young boys. “I pay 250 euros for the room,” he comments, while detailing that his pension barely reaches 650 euros per month.
Despite the economic difficulties, he tries to face everyday life with optimism and adapting to what he has. “I go to the cheapest place, I get the milk and if I run out of milk, I add a little water. I cheat on her,” she says with a laugh, making it clear that she has learned to survive by adjusting each expense to the maximum.
The pensioner also recognizes that, when money does not arrive, many whims have to be given up. “If you have to eat a bologna sandwich, which is delicious, you eat bologna and nothing happens,” he explains during the interview.
“I don’t like living alone, it depresses me”
Tomasa assures that he never imagined ending up sharing a flat at his age, although he recognizes that life forced him to adapt. “No, I didn’t imagine it, but you have to deal with it. Life takes many turns,” he says.
During the conversation he also talks openly about the difficult times he has gone through. “The first time I got divorced I wanted to take my own life,” she confesses. Precisely for this reason she assures that she does not want to live alone. “It depresses me and since I have had moments of wanting to get out of the way, I don’t want to,” he adds sincerely.
Despite everything, he highlights the emotional support he finds in the people he lives with. “We get along wonderfully. It’s my little family,” he explains about his roommates. According to him, they all try to help each other on a daily basis. “I iron you, you pay me a coffee and that’s how we go,” he says.
Shared housing already affects the elderly too
Tomasa’s experience reflects an increasingly common phenomenon in Spain: retired people who resort to shared rentals because their pensions are not enough to rent a complete home.
According to different real estate studies, the number of people sharing an apartment continues to grow due to the increase in rental prices and the lack of affordable housing. Although the majority are still young, the number of older people who opt for this formula to avoid becoming homeless or living completely alone is also increasing.
In Tomasa’s case, in addition to economic need, sharing a home allows her to feel accompanied and maintain a social routine. That is why he insists on the importance of attitude to face difficult situations. “You have to get used to the idea and you have to be very positive. If you are not positive, it eats you up,” she concludes.