Whether you have young adult children still trying to afford an apartment or older parents on a fixed income, multi-generational living is a frequent situation for many Burbank renters. In reality, the number of multi-generational households in the United States has increased. According to the Pew Research Center, one in five Americans currently live in multi-generational homes, a number that has climbed substantially in the last few decades. Even though there are numerous advantages to different generations of family members sharing a home, a couple of challenges can make it stressful sometimes. To help keep things working well for everyone, we’ve accumulated some useful tips you can utilize immediately.
Communication is Key
Sharing a house might entail a lot more time together. However, it can also cause little everyday annoyances that can breed resentment if left ignored. Whether you’re living with parents, adult children, or both, it’s important to communicate often and effectively with each member of the household. Attempt to avoid passive-aggressive “hints” or tactics – they rarely succeed. Alternatively, choose to have honest discussions about boundaries, personal habits, schedules, and anything else that will affect the whole family. It may seem awkward at first, but the more you communicate, the better off everyone will be in the long run.
Define Responsibilities
While combining households can help everyone save money, it’s still necessary 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, it’s essential to thoroughly define who is responsible for what. For instance, everyone in the family should know who will pay for what and how much. The same thing applies to cleaning and maintenance of the house. Every individual must have assigned responsibilities and tasks that help contribute to the successful working of the house. Think about utilizing this list from AARP to ensure that you’ve covered all the important topics. When everybody has a properly defined role and set of responsibilities, daily life will be a lot more enjoyable for all family members.
Protect Privacy
Living together in a home can make having enough privacy and personal space a challenge for everybody. However, these things are a crucial part of long-term happiness. Regardless of what size your current living situation may be, it’s necessary to do what you can to guarantee 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 offer additional privacy, if required. After that, if things begin to seem too crowded, find time to get out of the house and do activities you like. Motivate your family members to do the same. A little time away can work nicely for a tense situation.
Set Realistic Expectations
Even though you may love your parents and adult children, the possibilities are that it will take time and a lot of patience to make a living together a pleasant experience for everybody. Families can grow together if given the support and compassion each person deserves. Attempt not to dwell on small irritations, and instead, celebrate the little victories and good things about having your family under one roof. Bit by bit, you can focus on establishing excellent communication and peaceful coexistence that will make your multi-generational home a nice place to be.
If your present rental home is too small for your multi-generational family, it may be better to trade up! Communicate with Real Property Management Tri-Cities to discover what our professional Burbank property managers have to give, or check out our listings online.
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