Tackling Australia’s hidden housing crisis – one spare room at a time

The extraordinary Mount Macedon home with plenty of room for three women to homeshare with the owner Sev.

Three women, in their 50s or older, are being offered a unique, long-term, co-living opportunity in a large Mount Macedon home.

Wanting to fill his empty family home with life, Sev Clarke joined The Room Xchange – an online homeshare platform matching home owners with tenants.

Sev’s adult daughter lives in Melbourne, and his wife, an accomplished lecturer, spends a lot of time in the city, which often leaves Sev alone in the sizeable house.

Wanting to create a lively, co-living community in his tranquil regional home, Sev decided to offer the residents a rent offset arrangement, whereby tenants would contribute 10 hours of assistance in either the garden, admin or house management.

Each woman will have their own fully furnished bedroom, a private office space and two shared bathrooms, plus multiple living areas.

The Room XChange founder and CEO, Ludwina Dautovic, has spent the past nine years matching home owners with tenants. She said there were three different contract options that home owners used.

“These include the traditional rental model, an innovative offset model or, like Sev is doing, a mix of both,” Ludwina told the Express.

“We have a lot of households with older people who are living in very big houses, often on their own, and many are looking for companionship or help around the house, and they may chose to not charge rent.

“We also have single professionals who need help paying their mortgage so they rent out a room.”

The Room Xchange offers a unique profile-matching system that connects users based on personality, values and lifestyle compatibility – making the house-sharing experience smoother and more harmonious.

The platform, available for free for renters and home owners (with optional extras for home owners), also includes a mandatory identity verification include on the site, which helps to ensure safety and peace of mind.

With more than 13 million unused spare bedrooms sitting idle in homes across the country, The Room Xchange has found a unique way to tackle Australia’s hidden housing crisis.

Anyone interested in finding out more about Sev’s co-living opportunity can email Ludwina Dautovic at ludwina@theroomxchange.com to receive more information and details on how to apply.

To find out more about the house-sharing platform go to www.theroomxchange.com