Baby boomers seek young roomers to fill rent gap

A drop in post-retirement income coupled with New York City’s high cost of living has led more baby boomers to seek young adults to fill their spare rooms, according to new data from rental website Easyroommate.com.

About 11 percent of the total listings on Easyroommate are by people 50 years and older, according to the website. Women are more likely to rent a spare bedroom than men, and the average rental price for a listing by a person over 50 is $925 a month — $75 less than the average monthly asking rent for a room in a shared apartment in the city, according to Easyroommate spokesperson Sebastiaan Ram.

Older New Yorkers are more likely to have purchased an apartment or snagged a rent-controlled lease before prices shot up, according to a report from am New York. And they often find good companions in their younger roommates, according to the newspaper.

Joe DiNapoli rents out a spare room in a 1,300-square-foot loft in the West Village for $1,700 a month, he told am New York. Younger roommates have been a pleasure to have around, he said, and have taught him how to use Twitter and “navigate all the crap” on the internet. [amNY] – Hiten Samtani