Intergenerational homesharing in Australia: how Homeshare works

How is Australian Homeshare different from renting a room?

The key difference is the exchange. The householder provides accommodation, and the homesharer contributes roughly ten hours a week of practical support, such as cooking, cleaning, shopping or gardening. Personal care is excluded, and no rent normally changes hands.

The homesharer usually covers a share of utilities like electricity and internet. A paid coordinator screens both sides, introduces them, draws up a written agreement and stays available throughout. This agency role is what separates Homeshare from an informal lodger arrangement found through a classified ad.

Who represents the sector?

The Homeshare Australia and New Zealand Alliance, based in Prahran in inner Melbourne, is the peak body. In 2019 it had five provider members and eighteen other member organisations interested in Homeshare across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and the ACT.

Which programs shaped the model?

Wesley Homeshare in Melbourne ran from 1999 to 2016, keeping 40 to 50 active matches at a time, before closing for lack of funding. Community Connections in Canberra was also suspended for funding reasons, while Holdsworth Homeshare in Sydney trialled a fee-charging approach.

What is running today?

Provision is patchy. Homeshare Mount Alexander in Castlemaine is auspiced by Dhelkaya Health and grew out of a local coalition formed in 2019. In South Australia, Vinnies SA runs a women-only pilot, funded until 30 June 2025 according to its program page.

Who is Homeshare designed for?

Householders are typically older people, people with a disability or owners living alone in a large home. Homesharers include students, low-income workers and adults between housing options who can commit to regular evenings at home and a few hours of help each week.

Does it have to be intergenerational?

No. The Vinnies SA pilot matches homeowners aged 55 and over with women of a similar age who need affordable housing. Unlike France, where the legal scheme is reserved for under-30s, Australian programs focus on compatibility and need rather than age gaps.

What screening is involved?

Programs require interviews, a police clearance and reference checks. At Vinnies SA, pets are discussed case by case, and the agreement includes a trial period and an exit process. Homeshare is not crisis accommodation, and urgent cases are referred to homelessness services.

Why is Victoria paying attention?

In May 2025 a Victorian parliamentary committee visited Castlemaine as part of its inquiry into housing supply in regional Victoria. The alliance cited census data showing more than a million spare bedrooms in regional parts of the state.

What does it cost?

No rent is the norm, but some programs charge membership or matching fees. The figures below come from verified program documents and are dated, because practice differs between states and has changed as programs opened and closed.

Is any rent received taxable?

The Australian Taxation Office requires all income from renting out part of a home to be declared. GST does not apply to residential rent. Only expenses relating to the part used by the renter can be claimed, using a formula based on floor area and days rented.

What about capital gains when selling?

According to the ATO, the main residence exemption may become partial if part of the home produced income. Where no rent is paid, the position may differ, so a registered tax agent should review the actual arrangement before any sale.

Does Homeshare save public money?

Available studies suggest so. Carstein's 2003 analysis of the MECWA program estimated an annual net benefit of $822,169. A 2015 study put the benefits of a Melbourne program at about $15 million over eleven years.

How do you join a program?

Because there is no national network covering every region, the first task is finding out whether a program operates nearby. The process then resembles a recruitment, with interviews, checks and a trial period before both sides commit.

1. Contact HANZA to find active programs in your state.
2. Submit an expression of interest to the local coordinator.
3. Attend an interview and supply a police clearance and references.
4. Meet the proposed match, often more than once.
5. Agree in writing on tasks, hours, utilities and house rules.
6. Begin with a trial period of around one month.
7. Review the arrangement regularly with the coordinator.

What are the common pitfalls?

Homeshare relies on trust and on a careful balance between help and independence. Australian programs report several recurring problems, which explain many early endings and much of the difficulty in recruiting enough householders.

• Treating the homesharer as a carer instead of using professional services.
• Starting without a trial period or a written exit process.
• Underestimating shared energy and phone bills.
• Assuming a program exists everywhere when provision is very local.
• Forgetting tax obligations when a financial contribution is paid.

What happens when funding ends?

That is the model's main weakness. Several programs closed when government or philanthropic grants ran out. Vinnies SA states that if its pilot is not extended, existing pairs may continue independently under a separate agreement.

Can Homeshare delay a move into residential care?

That is the alliance's central argument. Its 2019 submission to the royal commission noted that a homesharer's presence can support earlier hospital discharge and avoid subsidised residential care costs, without replacing in-home care services.

Can an international student become a homesharer?

It is possible where a local program accepts international applicants and the visa allows the arrangement. Students need a police check, references and genuine availability on several evenings a week, which can be demanding during exam periods.

Are there joining fees?

Some programs are free and others charge. In 2019, Home Share Melbourne charged a one-off matching fee to both parties, sometimes waived, followed by a small weekly membership fee after a one-month trial. Current amounts must be requested directly.

How long does an agreement last?

The written agreement sets the term and can be renewed. Programs favour commitments of several months to give householders continuity, with a clause allowing either side to end the arrangement after an agreed notice period.

Is Homeshare available outside the cities?

Yes, and regional expansion is the current focus. The June 2026 proposal targets three regional Victorian sites, including growth around Mount Alexander, to put spare bedrooms in country towns to use and to test a statewide coordination role.