NEWS

20 May 2023

What if the unused space at your house is turned into a coliving space for elder people?

You own a spacious real property that you want to rent. Hence, the tenants usually look for small and cheaper apartments...

Or your children have grown up and left the parental house and you live in an empty house or apartment alone.

“What happens to me?” You ask Yourself.

No! This is not by any means a reason to move or to feel down. Or you are required to move to a nursing home. Even if you need care, you never know what to expect in the future, isn’t it a good idea just to postpone it? But what to do with the unused space?

Make something good happen for you and the others! Create your community for elder people! Just think how you will benefit from it: you will rent the free rooms, to elder people, whom you will choose according to Your attitudes, you will stay in Your “kingdom” and will continue independent living with dignity. At home.

Well, everyone wants that.

Now you wonder what organizational activities are there to create your own home.

I. To rent a room

You need to define what are the rooms for rent. Basic facilities, such as kitchen, living room, and bathroom are common. Every resident in the apartment pays rent for his/her own living space and proportionally pays rent for other facilities (kitchen, bathroom, and living rooms). It should be emphasized that the rent price is lower in a common apartment than in an individual one. Hence, the price for the rent may be significantly higher, as the apartment or house is architected in a barrier-free manner or if special equipment is required for disabled people (additional elevator, lift for the bathroom, etc.).

However, not just the construction specificities in your house or apartment are considered as important requirements appropriate for elder people. The location of the apartment or house is of importance: it has to be close to local infrastructure, local amenities, and medical care units.

An advice for you:

Prepare a checklist and mention...

1. Does your real estate property matches the requirements for real estate objects, appropriate for elder people

2. Which rooms are subjected for rent and which rooms will be common

3. Does the location of the real estate object for the coliving of elder people is near to the local infrastructure, local amenities, and medical care units.

II. Neighbors around the house

There are several ways to find like-minded people to establish a community of elder people. According to the data of the Federal Ministry of Healthcare, you can apply to the ambulatory services, which already take care of the apartment of coliving. Housing associations, as well as municipalities, might be contact persons, as they are involved in the planning of such projects. You can also look for flatmates, by placing announcements in the local meetings of elder people and in the centers of care assistance. Furthermore, you can classically place an announcement in the newspaper and wait for feedback.

Nevertheless, the quicker and safer way is through WIRZUM! We will help You!

Just register in our portal and introduce your real estate property, which is subject to rent with photos and precise information about the number and size of the rooms, location of the property, price of the rent, and associated costs. Then, add your own wishes, such as “preferably non-smoking, pets are allowed”, etc. As soon as the potential tenant will apply us, the WIRZUM team will schedule a meeting, so you can get acquainted with each other. When the flatmates are found, together you can clarify some crucial points regarding the coliving, i.e. distribution of tasks for everyone in the community or to solve juridical issues, associated with the establishment of such a community.

As well as think about how you want to structure the rental agreement. The best option is to establish a partnership with other residents. This clearly defines how the partnership in the group will be organized. The other paragraphs involve rights for distribution, use of common territories and liabilities to make decisions if residents are changed.

Advice for establishers of new apartments:

1. Get legal advice on the establishment of a coliving space. Usually, the establishment of an association is a good idea.

2. Explain all the key paragraphs of the rental agreement. It is important to include also clauses regarding the termination of the rental agreement by the tenant.

3. Define Your ideal concept concerning coliving space: how the coliving will be regulated in the future.

4. All the coliving residents at the apartment have to come to a consensus regarding the distribution of responsibilities. At the outset, the legal form of the partnership agreement is concluded between all the tenants, the partnership, rights for distribution of duties at coliving, etc. should be pointed out.

5. How to satisfy the growing need for care of the residents. Search for i.e. ambulatory care service.

III. Rental agreement

As it was mentioned above, clarify all the key paragraphs of the rental agreement. Ideally, each resident signs his/her rental agreement. This allows for avoiding problems in the case of resettlement or relocation. The tasks of the nurse or care service also should be pointed out in the agreement. Importantly: separately from the rental agreement! This refers primarily to the nurse, who is responsible for the care, as well as administrative and management tasks. The person responsible for care should be jointly hired by the residents of the apartment. An agreement is to be concluded to allow residents of the apartment to have a right to receive benefits on behalf of the residential group.

This is the safest decision for landlords and tenants when all the residents at the apartment conclude separate rental agreements with the host.

IV. Subsidies for a common apartment for elder people

Today, elder people in Germany can live independently at home. There are several advantages to supporting new housing forms for elder people. Government grants financial support and promotion in the form of housing benefits. The amount of benefit depends on the rental price in the co-living community, which corresponds to the pension of residents at the apartment and any additional income.

Do you need a barrier-free life and additional equipment for better privacy and life quality in your daily routine? To achieve this You can apply to receive higher subsidies, i.e. for adaptation of living space or early-stage funding.

1. Startup financing

To establish a new co-living community for elder people or ambulatory group for care, funding is necessary for re-equipment of the apartment, appropriate for the habitation of elder people, which amounts to 2500 euros per each eligible person. Hence, each housing community may be claimed 10000 euros at the most.

Necessary conditions are:

Eligible persons shall participate in the joint establishment of an ambulatory group for residential assistance.
Determination of the care level. If a resident does not receive care benefits or in-kind facilities for care. This is also applicable to the 1st level care.
Elder people share a common living space, i.e. a bathroom, a kitchen, and a common room, as well as the entrance.
At least 3 and not more than 12 persons comprise a coliving community of elder people,and at least three of them need care.
Each person is responsible for the community. The following expenses may be covered by the allowance for the residential group.
The apartment must be or has been reequipped to correspond to the age category or to be modified into a barrier-free one.
An application for subsidies must be claimed within one year all the abovementioned qualification requirements are fulfilled.

Briefly about the most important requirements:

1. At least 3 and not more than 12 persons comprise a coliving community of elder people, and at least three of them need care.

2. The apartment must be reequipped or restructured in a manner, appropriate for elder people.

3. A funding application must be claimed within one year all the abovementioned qualification requirements are fulfilled.

2. Startup funding in Bavaria

2.1. Application for funding of elder people community founders in Bavaria

The free land of Bavaria supports the establishment of ambulatory communities for patient care, providing early-stage funding up to 25000 euros. The individual founding such a community for elder people, who need care based on Article 2, section 3, sentence 3 PfleWoqG, may apply for approval of a State grant, according to Guidelines for Care Funding (WoLeRaF). Moreover, at the early stage of planning, it is necessary to contact a responsible specialized patient and disabled people care facility – development and quality control service (previously – household control), medical insurance finds, care insurance funds and social security agencies, fire protection state authorities, etc.

You need the following documents:

Meaningful concept (Description of ambulatory community with assisted living, target group, aim, organization of life in it, etc, as well as floor plans.
Funding plan for requested expenses per calendar year (included in the application form)
Medium-term funding plan for the upcoming five years (subsidized activity has to have a long-term perspective)
Application to provide grant support as a contribution to SGEI de minimis.
Statement of the facts, associated with subsidy.

A brief review of startup funding in Bavaria:

1. In the frames of early-stage funding 25000 euros for up to 2 years may be received for the establishment of new ambulatory communities for assisted living.

2. The grant amount comprises 90 percent of the maximum admissible expenses.

3. General subsidiary provisions are applied for project funding (ANBestP)

4. Ministry of healthcare and care of the land of Bavaria - [email protected]

3. Grants to improve the living environment

A person, living in a shared apartment, who needs care may apply and receive up to 4000 euros subsidy from the long-term care insurance fund for the re-equipment of the apartment. This subsidy is intended to enable the possibility of care at home, which allows, i.e. to widen doors in the apartment, install a stairlift or reequip the bathroom.

This subsidy can be received for up to four people for one shared apartment for elder people: the total sum, in this case, is 16000 euros. If more than four people share an apartment, the grant sum to improve the living environment is divided by the number of all the flatmates.

Advice for the future:

If the state of health of a resident at the apartment will worsen and a wheelchair and/or entrance ramp will be required, the subsidy may be processed for the second time

4. About types of care

People, who need care and live in the residential community are eligible to receive home care. Ambulatory treatment service price varies not only in separate federal lands but also among different service providers. Care service or health insurance fund at the place of residence will inform you about the number and volume of complex services

In the case of private organizations of the community of elder people or shared apartments for care, residents need to take action and, if required to organize support from a private nurse or ambulatory service. Residents of the shared apartment may choose different care services, but no price advantages will be granted, as it was in the case of shared use. Types of care in the shared house for elder people comprise hourly care, 24-hour care, palliative care, short-term care, ambulatory care, preventive care, and intensive care.

Advice for founders of coliving of elder people:

Get informed about legal conditions when establishing shared apartments for elder people. The use of 24-hour care i.e. corresponds to nursing home care services. The Law obligates to perform particular requirements about nursing homes, which vary from land to land.

5. Surcharge for residential groups

People who live in shared apartments for elder people or in shared apartments with care receive a so-called surcharge for the common residential group of 214 euros per month. These payments can be used for funding additional expenses per person, who provides organizational, administrative, management support, and care support. An essential condition for that is coliving in a common apartment for at least three persons, who need care.

Furthermore, residents should jointly order person of presence services. This person supports the residential community and provides general care, performs administrative and household tasks. This person does not depend on elder people’s care. The caregiver does not have to be a trained nurse. The caregiver is a domestic assistant that performs necessary daily care assistance by § 21 of the Regulations of Employment.

Requirements:

Care level determination. If a person, living in a shared apartment does not receive benefits for care or in-kind benefits, this also refers to 1st level of care.
Elder people use common living space, hence they have a common bathroom, kitchen, common room, and entrance. Pay attention that in the case of separate living units in the comprehension of the legislator a residential group does not exist, correspondingly there is no right for additional payments.
At least 3 and not more than 12 persons comprise a coliving community of elder people,and at least three of them need care.
Each person is responsible for the community. The following expenses may be covered by the allowance for the residential group.

To receive a benefit for residential living it is necessary:

1. At least 3 residents at shared apartment having patient care level.

2. Interested persons reside in a shared apartment equipped with home care services.

3. Starting from 01.01.2015 applicants, depending on care level, receive in-kind benefits, care benefits, or a combination of both, as well as persons with care level 0 with significantly limited daily competencies by § 45a SGB XI.

6. Additional services

Starting from the 2nd level assuming the home care service expenses can be issued in the corresponding insurance fund. Long-term care insurance covers expenses up to a certain maximal sum. If the care is provided by the ambulatory service, the person who needed the care may apply and receive in-kind benefits for care. Furthermore, insured persons with at least 2nd level care also have a right to receive benefits for daycare and night care.

In addition, people, who need care and have at least 2nd care level may receive a 1774 euros per year benefit for short-term care and 1612 euros per year for preventive care. All the insured persons independently of care level may also claim the following benefits:

1. Care and assistance services (125 euros/month),

2. Funds, intended for consumer use (up to 40 euros/month),

3. Subsidies for the emergency call at home (2550 euros/month),

4. Subsidies for the adaptation of living space (modification into barrier-free living space – 4000 euros /event).

Briefly about the most important things:

1. People who need care in a shared apartment, may order ambulatory care service. Usually, the residential community looks for joint service for the resident’s care.

2. If you have a care level, you are eligible for a monthly benefit for coliving for 214 euros.

3. Care service may be funded starting from the 2nd level through in-kind allowances for care.

4. People, who need care, are eligible for an allowance of 125 euros per month, which is used, i.e. to pay for the presence or the caregiver, independently from the care level.

7. Consultative visits

Ambulatory care recipients with care levels of 2-5 are eligible for free consultations with trained caregivers, who will consult them, i.e. on the issue of optimizing care or housing. Consultations for care benefit recipients are organized by phone, in a digital format, or the form of videoconferences up to 31.03.2022 if insured persons wish so.

8. Review of the advantages regarding the level of care

Services	Care level 1	Care level 2	Care level 3
Benefits for patient care in ambulatory care	0 Euro	316 Euro	545 Euro
In-kind benefits for ambulatory care/ daily and night care	0 Euro	724 Euro	1.363 Euro
Short-term care / Preventive care (Kurzzeitpflege / Verhinderungspflege)	0 Euro	1.774 Euro	1.774 Euro
Ambulatory care and assistance sum	125 Euro	125 Euro	125 Euro
Hospital accommodation	125 Euro	770 Euro	1.262 Euro
Patient care product	40 Euro	40 Euro	40 Euro
Measures to improve living conditions Wohnumfeldverbessernde Maßnahmen	4.000 Euro	4.000 Euro	4.000 Euro
Payments for residential group	0 Euro	214 Euro	214 Euro
The average cost-sharing, associated with care	0 Euro	580 Euro

If you have private insurance for long-term care, you can claim for subsidy. In this situation rules for subsidization are applicable by § 45e, section 1, sentence 4.

9. One more advantage – a benefit for relocation

Do you know that the long-term care insurance fund pays your new neighbors a benefit for relocation when they move to a shared apartment? Subsidies are paid for the relocations, which serve to maintain independence for as long as possible. This also refers to the settlement as a shared apartment for elder people. The long-term care insurance fund covers expenses if the person moves to a new apartment that is better adapted to the person’s physical needs. This involves, i.e. barrier-free apartments, as well as auxiliary means to ensure access to the apartment. The long-term care insurance fund covers the expenses of the company for relocation or in the case of private relocations, i.e. expenses of a truck, material expenses (boxes for relocation). These expenses must have been verifiable. The long-term care insurance fund pays benefits for relocation for 4000 euros. This is regulated by §40 section 4 of the Social Codex XI.

V. Extended payments, associated with Covid-19, by the long-term care insurance fund

During pandemics of Covid-19 long-term care insurance fund provides financial aid and assistance schemes to the people who need care, to their relatives, as well as care facilities.

1. To compensate for coronavirus infection triggered care deficiency people, who need care and have care 1st level may benefit from an allowance of 125 euros per month up to 31.03.2022 for the services intended by the following regulations.

2. People who need the care of all the levels, may use unused amounts of money intended for care services from 2021 to 30.06.2022.

3. Payment of benefits now will take 20 working days instead of 10 up to 31.03.2022.

4. To determine the need for care, the medical service (MD or MDK) may evaluate the place of residence without examining the insured person, if it is necessary for the protection of the insured person and appraisers. Classification may be performed based on the case file and, if required, a telephone interview.

5. Consultations for care benefit recipients may be performed on phone, in a digital format, or the form of videoconferences up to 31.03.2022 if insured persons wish so.

VI. Laws for elder people communities by federal lands

Baden-Württemberg	Act on Nursing homes for the Elderly at Baden-Württemberg – The Public Housing Law(LHeimG)
Bavaria	Law on regulation of the quality of care, support, and housing in elderly and in persons with disabilities (Act on care quality and housing - PfleWoqG)
Berlin	The law about Self-Determination and participation in Assisted community life (Act on housing involvement, WTG)
Brandenburg	Brandenburg Law about housing for elder and disabled people (BbgPBWoG)
Bremen	Bremen Law about housing and care (BremWoBeG)
Hamburg	Hamburg Law about the improvement of quality of housing and care for elder people, disabled people, and people, who need care (Hamburg Law about quality of housing and care - HmbWBG)
Hesse	Hesse Law about care and nursing services (HGBP)
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Pomerania	The law about improvement of quality at facilities for people, who need care, and disabled people, as well as about strengthening their self-determination and involvement (Law about quality of facilities - EQG M-V)
Lower Saxony	Law of Lower Saxony about nursing homes (NHeimG)
North Rhine-Westphalia	The law about assisted life and care in the facilities (Law about care and involvement - WTG)
Rhineland-Palatinate	State law about forms of housing and involvement (LWTG)
Saar land	Law of Saar land about maintaining the quality of housing, assistance, and care for elder people, persons of legal age, who need care, and disabled people (Law about housing at Saar land - LHeimGS)
Saxony	Law of Saxony about the regulation of the quality of care and housing of elder people,disabled people, and in the case of care requirement at free land of Saxony (Law of Saxony about quality of care and housing - SächsBeWoG)
Saxony-Anhalt	Housing forms and participation Act of Saxony-Anhalt land (WTG-LSA)
Schleswig-Holstein	Act about the strengthening of Self-determination and protection of people, who need care or disabled people (Law about strengthening of Self-determination - SbStG)
Thuringia	No legislation yet

VII. Are you ready for a brand new start?

At the elder age, we are non-confident regarding every new and unknown. Hence, traditional life models, such as living in a big family have changed and some forms for elder people are impossible due to functional or financial causes or way too expensive. This grants significance to the neighborhood and coliving space projects. Every person may organize a community for elder people.

Be the master of your own life!

Your medical insurance or insurance if care is required, the department of social services in your city, consumer services In your area, are potential contact persons.