‘My choices are limited’: over-50s turn to flatsharing in cost of living crisis

Angi Long: ‘Bills will increase quite considerably over the next year – do I want to sit tight for another year?’ Photograph: supplied

Marie, 53, shares a flat with her friend and their family. It’s noisy and cramped and she is desperate to move into her own place but she can’t. Rents are high in East Sussex, where she lives, and the property market is highly competitive, with estate agents prioritising dual-income families.

“I’m looking all the time, I have to move,” she said. “It’s not conducive to my mental health or wellbeing here.”