Views from our residents…….

Posted 13th December 2021

How moving to a retirement community transformed my life

Renting in a retirement development can be a great option for women living alone as it offers security, as well as access to a great community of friends. For one of our residents, 62-year-old Denise Birley it’s transformed her life, giving her back her independence and a new lease of life! Here is her story.

Denise has been renting a one-bedroom retirement flat in one of our lovely developments called Homerose House in Southsea, Hampshire since July 2021. This is a retirement development for people over 60 years and has 51 one and two bedroom apartments.

It is in a great location, being only half a mile from the centre of town and close to shops, a post office and a bus stop. What’s more the development also accepts dogs and cats (subject to terms of lease and landlord permission) which can be a big relief for people looking to rent with pets.

Denise had never thought about moving to a retirement community as she felt too young, but when she left a 35-year relationship she needed somewhere to live. Renting was the only option for her and during her search she came across the flat at Homerose House. After viewing it she fell in love with it immediately.

As Denise explains, “I was leaving a difficult relationship behind after many years and this was going to be the first time I would live alone.  I’m not a well person and have heart and liver issues, so I was keen to find a place that I could manage on my own, and that also offered me safety and security.

“Homerose House was freshly decorated with new carpets, it was light and airy and a great size – I knew I’d be able to manage cleaning it. It wasn’t too far from where I had been living previously so I knew the area and my three daughters are not too far away. When I walked in it just felt like home straight away.”

As Denise was living alone for the first time, the most important thing for her was that the development was safe and secure. The development has a house manager who is on site during the day and a Careline emergency cord in each apartment.

Denise says that the manager is fantastic and calls her daily on the intercom to check that she’s ok. She feels really safe living there because of all these elements, plus access to the property is via a security door.

At the moment Denise is on a shorthold tenancy, but after the first year she plans to move to an assured tenancy. An assured tenancy is one of the key benefits for many of renting in a retirement development as it means people can stay as long as they wish, as long as they stick to the terms of the agreement

Most of our properties come with assured tenancies, which are usually not available in the Private Rented Sector. This is important for older people as most don’t want the hassle of having to move again. They don’t want the fear either that the landlord could ask them to leave at any time and just want to be safe and settled.

Denise is one of the youngest residents at Homerose House, having taken over from the previous youngest who is 74!  But despite being younger than everyone else she has felt really welcomed from the moment she moved in and says all the residents are friendly and look out for one another.

She has quickly embraced living on her own too and has made lots of friends in the development, even needing to buy a diary to keep track of her social life!

She says, “One of the best things about moving here is I’ve met lots of new people. The development also organises events like coffee mornings which I go to. Even going to the laundry room means I meet people for a chat, so I never feel lonely. In fact, I would say I now feel less lonely living here than I did when I was living with my partner. I feel I’ve got my life back and can enjoy the rest of the time I have happily.”

Denise says moving into a retirement community has transformed her life. She now feels safe, happy and settled. She says for woman living alone it’s the ideal place to live and highly recommends living in a retirement community!

We are so pleased that Denise is happy in her new home. If, like Denise you find yourself living alone in later life why not consider renting in a retirement community? Take a tour of our web site to find out all the benefits and see some of the properties we currently have available.