Taiwanese millennials and retirees become housemates in rental affordability initiative

Like most of her peers, Taiwanese millennial, Lin Chi, used to spend a large chunk of her income on rent for a tiny flat, which offered no more than a place to sleep. The space was so cramped, the 28-year-old would rather spend her leisure time in McDonald’s, or stay in her car browsing her phone after work.

However, now sharing a spacious flat in Taipei with two unlikely housemates – a full time volunteer in her 70s and a security guard in his 60s – Lin has found a new home and family.

Riding on the wave of the co-living concept, the living arrangement is part of a pilot scheme that offers shared housing with cheaper rent for cross-generational tenants. Launched by the property management start-up, 9floor, the initiative is proposed as a creative solution to Taiwan’s ageing population and housing shortage.

In Taiwan, social housing accounts for a mere 0.1 per cent of the entire housing stock, compared to 4 per cent in Japan, 9 per cent in Seoul by 2022 and 30 per cent in Hong Kong. Equally pressing, Taiwan is home to one of the fastest ageing populations in the world with one senior citizen (aged 65 or older) out of every seven people.

“Housing is part of basic human rights. We often discuss the issue of housing in terms of flat sizes and numbers, but not the residential culture. With a better utility of space, we can offer people a new lifestyle,” says Spencer Ke Bo-lin, a co-founder of 9floor, who is hoping to transform not just how people interact, but also whom they interact with.