The current landscape
No national scheme pairs an older homeowner with a younger lodger. In January 2026, OsloMet’s NIBR institute published research on six Norwegian projects combining student and senior housing, finding that some succeeded while others stalled for legal, financial or organisational reasons.
How the model is built
Student flats sit beside care housing, known as omsorgsboliger, or within nursing homes, sykehjem. Students pay less than market rent and are expected to bring life and conversation to the building, but they are not employed as carers unless a separate contract says so.
Two documented cases
A September 2025 NORCE report commissioned by Husbanken describes the senior house at Pastor Fangens vei 22 in Tåsen, Oslo. Two flats there are reserved for students hired part-time as residential support workers, who also benefit from reduced rent.
The Bø nursing home experiment
In Bø, Midt-Telemark, a closed nursing home ward with five units reopened for students, inspired by Dutch examples. An early volunteer-hours requirement was dropped after legal and tax concerns; the students now receive two free dinners every week instead.
NORCE compares these cases with Generationernes Hus in Aarhus, Denmark, and notes a planned intergenerational concept in Ål municipality. Its fieldwork suggests that neighbourly ties grow mostly from activities residents start themselves, rather than from events organised by building management.
Who these projects suit
Councils tend to pick students enrolled nearby, often in health or social care courses, according to NIBR. Benefits appear stronger in care housing for active older residents than in nursing homes for the frailest, where shared everyday life is harder to sustain.
Six conditions for success
- Funding: Husbanken grants for student housing and care housing cannot be combined without an exemption.
- A location close to campus and the town centre.
- Design that protects privacy and quiet while offering shared rooms.
- Careful student selection based on suitability and field of study.
- Lawful contracts, plus a committed key person driving the project.
Older residents in the studied projects valued being seen as people with something to offer, not only as recipients of help. Students, for their part, reported a calmer living environment than in large student villages, though early legal and organisational hurdles tested everyone’s patience.
Why rent-for-help is legally fragile
Researchers found that requiring social work in exchange for lower rent is illegal under Norwegian rules. Projects that last either impose no such duty or sign a separate employment contract with the student, keeping tenancy and work clearly apart.
A government trial
The government has announced it wants trials of student housing linked to nursing homes, according to a press release on regjeringen.no. Anyone planning a project should check with their municipality which sites, timelines and funding conditions currently apply.
What students pay in Oslo
For comparison, an unfurnished studio at SiO’s Kringsjå student village costs NOK 7,814 to 8,636 a month until 31 July 2027, including electricity, heating, water and internet. Tenants who are not students pay 20 percent more for the same unit.
| Option | Indicative cost | What is expected | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| SiO Kringsjå studio | NOK 7,814-8,636/month | Nothing beyond rent | Fixed-term student lease |
| Flat in Tåsen senior house | Reduced rent | Part-time paid job | Lease plus separate job contract |
| Room at Bø nursing home | Not published | No duty; two free dinners | Student lease |
| Room in an older person’s home | Agreed privately | Any help agreed outside rent | Private tenancy |
Letting a room at home: the tax rule
Huseierne, the homeowners’ association, explains that long-term rent is tax-free when the owner uses at least half the home, measured by rental value rather than floor area. Otherwise, it stays tax-free if gross rent does not exceed NOK 20,000 a year.
Above those limits, Skatteetaten taxes rental income at 22 percent as a rule. Short-term letting of your own home follows separate rules with no cost deductions, and for 2025 income the first NOK 15,000 is exempt, with 85 percent of the excess taxable.
Steps for hosting a student
- Estimate the rental value of the let part and the part you keep.
- Write a lease naming the room, shared areas, rent and notice period.
- Keep any help with chores outside the rent agreement.
- Tell your home insurer and, in a housing cooperative, the board.
- Keep records of rent received.
- Check each year that you remain within the exemption limits.
Pitfalls
- Making rent reductions conditional on care or companionship hours.
- Measuring the half-of-home test in square metres instead of rental value.
- Exceeding NOK 20,000 while letting more than half without declaring it.
- Handing nursing tasks to an untrained student.
Readers from Britain may recognise the problem: UK Homeshare avoids rent altogether, while Norwegian law makes a rent discount tied to services risky, which is why municipal pilots prefer a clean split between tenancy and paid work.
Is there a Homeshare equivalent in Norway?
No comparable network has been identified. Initiatives remain local and institutional, led by municipalities or housing providers, and NORCE recommends treating them as ongoing innovation processes, supported by learning networks across Norwegian municipalities and Nordic countries.
Does Husbanken fund these projects?
Husbanken, the state housing bank, co-commissioned the NORCE study with Landsbyggefonden and offers grants for student housing and care housing. NIBR notes, however, that combining the two requires exemptions, which slows councils down and discourages smaller municipalities from trying the model at all.
Can international students apply?
SiO allocation rules cover students at its member institutions regardless of nationality. For flats in senior housing, the municipality or the care provider selects residents, often favouring students in nursing, social work or related programmes.
Do student leases offer less protection?
Yes. SiO states that student leases are fixed-term and that, under section 11-2 of the Tenancy Act, tenants have fewer rights than in ordinary lettings. The Kringsjå studio carries a three-month notice period, and the lease ends automatically on its fixed date.
Can an older homeowner simply rent a room to a student?
Yes, as an ordinary private tenancy. If the owner keeps at least half the home by rental value, long-term rent remains tax-free, but any help requested should stay voluntary and separate from the rent so the arrangement cannot be read as disguised employment.
Useful organisations and resources
- OsloMet / NIBR – students and seniors under one roof — Research institute that assessed six Norwegian projects and identified six conditions for success.
- Husbanken – NORCE report 2025 — State housing bank report on intergenerational communities at Tåsen, Bø and Aarhus, with recommendations.
- SiO – Oslo student housing — Oslo student welfare organisation publishing rents, included utilities, lease length and notice for Kringsjå studios.
- Huseierne – tax-free letting — Homeowners’ association explaining the half-of-home test and the NOK 20,000 threshold.
Official and legal references
- Skatteetaten – tax on rental — Norwegian Tax Administration guidance on rental income, the 22 percent rate and short-term letting of your home.
- Regjeringen – student housing at nursing homes trial — Government announcement of a trial linking student housing to nursing homes.