Don’t pay any rents but help the people in house-hold works, is the motto of the home sharing program (Wohnen für Hilfe in German) in Germany. This project brings old people who can rent a room and younger people who look for rooms, together.
There are two reasons to bring this idea of living partnership into existence. First, in many of the cities, it’s hard to find a cheaper room. Second, Many older people live alone in big houses or apartments, most of the times it is too big for them to live. The organisers of home sharing bringing students or trainees and older people together – it is advantageous for both: rather paying rents, youngsters help older people in doing house-hold works.
Fill a form to contact partners
Before finding a one room apartment near Freiburg, Arjun, a MS student from University of Freiburg has to fill a form which shows his complete potential like whether can he able to manage living with older people or is he having any problems living with family? Whether he manages pets? What are his wishes? What is he expecting from the living partners? As soon as the organisers of this Home sharing program receives the application from Arjun, they told him that, there is one lady who is looking to offer a room for a student. In the first meeting itself the lady decided to offer one room in her house to Arjun.
One hour work per Square meter
From two years, Arjun is living with his land-lady in a village near to Freiburg. He has his personal living room, separate bathroom, separate kitchen. In some of the home sharing, there will be shared bathrooms and shared kitchen either with the owners or with fellow students. As a rule, students who take up the chance to live as living partners should work one hour per Square meter of their living room. Arjun’s living room is 20 Square meters, so he works for 20 Hours in a month. It is Home sharing organisation’s responsibility to make sure that Arjun as expected or not.
Individual regulations in work
There is no specific rule for the works what students get in home sharing program. For example, Arjun brings food items from super market for his land-lady. He helps her in gardening, cooking, washing clothes. Time to time, he solves problems related to power supply, internet and telephone connections. Whenever Arjun finds some time, he chats with his land-lady on various topic which gives immense pleasure to his land-lady.
It is not as easy as it looks
It is false assumption that any body can come to home sharing program and get exemption from rent. It is not always easy for youngsters to live with older people. Playing loud music, partying with friends is not allowed in most of the home sharing. If there is problem with students, land-lords lodge a complaint against students in home sharing organisation. Organisers visit the living partners and solve the problems, in case there is severe problem which can’t be resolved, then that might lead to break of home sharing between them.
Family feeling for both sides
Arjun’s land-lady never had a problem with Arjun in the last two years. Arjun, who come from India, feels staying with his family while staying with his land-lady and his land-lady feels so happy when Arjun helps her in daily routines and treat him as her own son. So there is harmony in their lives. Normally, no body enter into each other’s private rooms without asking them, every body needs privacy and private life too.
In West and South Germany
At the moment, such home sharing programs are only in West and South Germany. Hopefully there will much more home sharing programs in other parts of Germany as well in rest of the world in the coming years.
(I personally thank Ms. Anna Grabowski, who wrote similar article in German language for dw-world online as on 11th Feb 2009)
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