Desperate LA renters are turning to an unlikely generation to beat sky-high housing costs

LA’s housing shortage is leading many renters to make an unexpected solution: Moving in with a roommate from a completely different generation. It sounds like the setup for the perfect sitcom.Maybe an update of “Perfect Strangers” — set in Chicago in the 1980s — where the vibe is “Friends”-meets-”Golden Girls.”A few years ago, that might have sounded like a strange solution — back when the biggest question about an apartment in LA was how long the commute to work would be, and whether there was parking.

The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.Please provide a valid email.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story Now, there’s really only one question: Can I afford this place?For younger renters, the reality is that older roommates make financial sense. For one thing, they tend to have higher incomes, meaning that they are more reliable with the rent. And if they’re just subletting rooms in their existing leases, so much the better.

For a young tenant, paying for a room is much more sensible than paying the rent on an entire apartment.There’s more than money at stake, however.Living with someone from a completely different age bracket can also connect Angelenos across generations.Affordable Living for the Aging (ALA), a Los Angeles organization that screens and matches older residents with housing seekers, says it has matched thousands of roommates over the decades.

 The matches are quite creative in their terms.For example, some older residents are willing to exchange discounted rent for help with chores or transportation. ALA reports that its average match between roommates lasts two and-a-half years.

And it says that its rent-only arrangements typically range from $800 to $1,000 a month — which, in LA terms, is absurdly low.In one case, Josh, a man in his late 20s, is renting a guesthouse in the hills ...