Rising housing costs put America’s empty bedrooms up for grabs in shared homes

A cheaper place to live

After a 2022 breakup, Atlanta-area social worker Todd Waller needed a place quickly. He found PadSplit, a company founded in 2017 that rents furnished bedrooms in houses by the week, and moved in without paying a security deposit.

Unused space draws interest

With rents rising faster than wages in much of the country, some lawmakers are considering co-living as part of the housing supply. Zillow counts about 21 million households of older residents without children that have at least two spare bedrooms.

Rules shaped by past bans

Room rentals in boarding houses and residential hotels were once common in American cities. After World War II, however, cities increasingly associated them with poverty and vice, banned new ones and paid landlords to eliminate existing rooms.

A 1974 Supreme Court ruling allows cities to define who qualifies as a family under zoning law, and many communities still have zoning rules that favor traditional family arrangements in single-family housing. The article says the issue is being challenged on two fronts, with more states expected to consider it in 2027.

Supporters say room-sharing can help people facing emergencies avoid entering shelters, particularly when a move-in is quick and requires no deposit. PadSplit’s December survey found that 83 percent of its renters were employed, most had not attended college, and median income was $32,500.