From Gated communities to Intergenerational housing where to live after retirement

Housing is a major concern for many seniors. Housing costs are going up, rental rates are skyrocketing, and people are looking for alternatives. I have touched on housing alternatives in past posts looking at Cooperative Housing and other shared living. Today and tomorrow I will post about 55+ communities and Intergenerational housing.

My Aunt and Uncle when they were alive, lived in a gated community for those over 65. Their community was in West Kelowna, which is in the interior of BC. They loved living there. The problem is that in BC, these types of communities are few and difficult to find and get into. There are more in Ontario and back east, but the model of housing has not caught on in BC, at least within my circle of friends and acquaintances.

The advantages of a  55-plus community or 50-plus community are many and include Community centres or clubhouses, Fitness Studios, Games Room, Hiking Trails or easy access to these trails, and a Patio/Courtyard/BBQ, with Recreation facilities onsite. Each community has its own unique personality, so there are a lot of choices.

Some of the biggest cons associated with active lifestyle communities are:

Maintenance fees. People who live in these retirement communities think the fees are well worth it. Paying someone else to do the dull old tasks of homeownership is way nicer than doing those yourself. Those tasks are covered by fees, and things get completed by professionals with professional equipment and skills.

Homeowner’s Association politics. Again, the Homeowners’ Association (which might also go by other names such as owners’ council) is in fact a feature of active lifestyle communities, and the Association is there for your protection.

The cost. Homes are priced based on different models, and it’s a popular model for builders or corporations of these retirement communities to keep ownership of the land while you own the house. This frees you up from some responsibilities. This also means that the entire community is consistently maintained; you won’t have neighbours with uncut grass or garbage outside their homes, etc.