Advice for Living in a Multi-Generational Home

Whether you have young adult children still trying to afford an apartment or older parents on a fixed income, multi-generational living is a familiar situation for many Star renters. Indeed, the number of multi-generational households in the United States has grown. According to the Pew Research Center, one in five Americans currently live in multi-generational homes, a number that has increased dramatically in the last few decades. Even though there are various advantages to different generations of family members sharing a home, a handful of challenges can make it stressful occasionally. To help keep things working well for everyone, we’ve compiled some relevant tips you may implement instantly.

Communication is Key

Sharing a house could provide a lot more time together. However, it may also produce little everyday annoyances that can breed resentment if left disregarded. Whether you’re living with parents, adult children, or both, it’s important to communicate regularly and clearly with each member of the household. Try to stop passive-aggressive “hints” or tactics – they do not often work. As an alternative, choose for conducting open discussions about boundaries, personal habits, schedules, and anything else that will affect the whole family. You may find it uncomfortable in the early days, but the more you communicate, the better off everyone will be eventually.

Define Responsibilities

Even though combining households can help everyone save money, it’s still needed to discuss who’s responsible for the cost and work of keeping up the home with your family members. To make a multi-generational household work, you have to clearly define who is responsible for what. For example, everyone in the family should know who will pay for what and how much. The same thing applies to cleaning and maintenance of the home. Each person must have assigned responsibilities and tasks that help contribute to the effective running of the house. You have to use this list from AARP to ensure that you’ve covered all the important topics. When everyone has a suitably defined role and set of responsibilities, everyday living will be a lot more fun for all family members.

Protect Privacy

Living together in a home can make having enough privacy and personal space problematic for every member. However, these factors are an important part of long-term happiness. Irrespective of what size your current living situation may be, you need to do everything you can to guarantee that each family member has a way to create and enjoy a bit of private space. Even in shared rooms, you may hang curtains or use other dividers to give more privacy, if requested. Then, if things start to feel too crowded, take the initiative to get out of the house and do things you love. Inspire your family members to do the same. A little time away might help significantly in a tense situation.

Set Realistic Expectations

Even though you may love your parents and adult children, the opportunities are that it will take time and more patience to make a living together with a pleasant experience for each one of them. Families can grow together if given the support and compassion each person demands. It would be best not to dwell on small irritations and instead celebrate the little victories and good things about having your family under one roof. Little by little, you can concentrate on developing good communication and peaceful coexistence that will make your multi-generational home a lovely place to live.

 

If your old rental home is too small for your multi-generational family, it may be advisable to trade up! Contact Real Property Management Boise to discover what our professional Star property managers have to offer or examine our listings online.