Whether you have young adult children still trying to afford an apartment or older parents on a fixed income, multi-generational living is a regular case for many Lake Wales renters. Truthfully, the number of multi-generational households in the United States is getting higher. According to the Pew Research Center, one in five Americans currently live in multi-generational homes, a number that has multiplied rapidly in the last few decades. While there are several advantages to different generations of family members sharing a home, several challenges can make it stressful sometimes. To aid with retaining things working well for everyone, we’ve collected some valuable tips you can employ right away.
Communication is Key
Sharing a house might bring a lot more time together. But it can also generate little everyday annoyances that can breed resentment if left untreated. Regardless of whether you’re living with parents, adult children, or both, it’s important to communicate regularly and directly with each member of the household. It is advisable to stay away from passive-aggressive “hints” or tactics – they seldom succeed. As another option, decide on having forthright discussions about boundaries, personal habits, schedules, and anything else that will affect the entire family. It may feel uneasy from the start, but the more you communicate, the better off everyone will be sooner or later.
Define Responsibilities
While combining households can help everyone save money, it’s still critical to discuss who’s responsible for the cost and work of keeping up the home with your family members. To make a multi-generational household work, make sure you clearly define who is responsible for what. Let’s say everyone in the family should know who will pay for what and how much. The same approach applies to cleaning and maintenance of the house. Everyone in the house should have assigned responsibilities and tasks that help contribute to the efficient flow of the house. It would be great to use this list from AARP to make sure you’ve covered all the important topics. Once everybody has a clearly defined role and set of responsibilities, the daily routine will be much more exciting for all family members.
Protect Privacy
Living together in a home can make having sufficient privacy and personal space a hardship for all. Yet, these qualities are a big part of long-term happiness. No matter what size your current living situation may be, it’s critical to do what you can to ensure that each family member has a way to create and enjoy a bit of private space. Even in shared rooms, you may hang curtains or use other dividers to add more privacy, if requested. At that time, if things start to feel too crowded, make a way to get out of the house and do activities you truly enjoy. Invite your family members to do the same. A bit of time away might help enormously in a tense situation.
Set Realistic Expectations
While you may love your parents and adult children, the possibilities are that it will take time and more patience to make a living together a pleasant experience for your family. Families can grow together if given the support and compassion each person wants. Attempt not to dwell on small irritations, and in its place, celebrate the little victories and good things about having your family under one roof. Slowly, you can work on having great communication and peaceful coexistence that will make your multi-generational home a lovely home to live in.
If your current rental home is too small for your multi-generational family, it may be time to trade up! Contact Real Property Management Lakeside to see what our professional Lake Wales property managers have to offer, or view our listings online.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
