The ‘Golden Girls’ Housing Hack Is Booming—So Why Are Lawmakers Trying To Stop It?

Picture it: Miami, 1985. 

In the 1980s, the idea of four women in their retirement years living together as roommates was a novel concept. 

Forty years later, and living with several roommates under one roof is as commonplace for seniors as it is for college freshmen. 

America has a housing problem, no question—and with rents too high and housing costs like property taxes and insurance skyrocketing, having a room to spare is beneficial both for the homeowner to rent out for needed funds and the solo renter who needs a place to stay. 

Some state lawmakers have seen the benefit of relaxing zoning and housing codes to allow for more single-room occupancy housing (SROs).

Others are traveling down the road and back again, conflicted over how allowing “home-sharing” will ultimately affect the communities at large. 

Connecticut’s 'Golden Girls bill'

As it stands, several states such as Iowa, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, already have laws in place that allow for unrelated adults to live together by renting individual rooms. 

Connecticut appeared to be next in line. 

The legislation—referred to as the “Golden Girls bill”—easily passed through the Senate earlier this year, paving the way to allow homeowners to rent individual rooms in their homes to long-term tenants.

But when it reached the state House of Representatives, the bill was never voted on. What seemed like an easy win was immediately back-burned by House Speaker Matt Ritter.

A Democrat representing the Hartford area, home to several colleges like Trinity and the University of Hartford, Ritter raised concerns about a provision in the law that required the homes to be owner-occupied.

According to the CT Mirror, he feared it would be difficult to enforce, and his area would then be dominated by young college students renting out rooms in residential neighborhoods. 

“What if a neighbor is unhappy about four unrelated people who are 19 years old or 22 years old living in the house? The owner says it’s occupied, but nine months out of the year they’re in another state. I mean, the question really comes down—to me—about who enforces it, and how would you deal with a situation like that?” Ritter said in an interview earlier this month, as cited by the CT Mirror. 

“I think what’s hard is you come into cities where you’re near universities and major places of employment, and people could take advantage of that, buy up two-family homes and start renting to four to eight people, potentially a two-family home in a residential neighborhood,” Ritter added.

The roommate revolution 

While Connecticut is still weighing its options, other states are on the path to making Golden Girls living a reality. 

In Pennsylvania, the aptly named “Golden Girls Law” (HB 2109) just won approval in the statehouse, eliminating ordinances that would block municipalities from using zoning or housing codes to cap unrelated roommates.

It comes at a time when buying a home feels so out of reach for both young, prospective buyers and older retirees looking to downsize that renting feels like the only viable option. 

In fact, data from the roommate-finding platform SpareRoom reveals that the share of U.S. homeowners age 45-plus seeking long-term renters has surged. This demographic now represents nearly 40% of all live-in landlords—a notable jump from the 28% reported just five years ago.

Plus, the share of homeowners age 65 and older who are taking on roommates has also more than doubled since 2019, making them the fastest-growing cohort by far.

"People in their 50s or 60s might have gone through a major life change—might have changed careers, might have gone through a divorce—and 10 years ago, would have gone and rented a one-bedroom or a studio," Matt Hutchinson, communications director for SpareRoom, told Realtor.com®. 

"And they're looking at prices and going, 'Well, there's no way I can afford to do that.' And so they're finding themselves living with roommates."

The next step 

The hard truth is, though, that in most of the country, SROs are still a no-no—but there is movement. 

In Connecticut's case, it may be worth looking at what Texas has implemented. 

Rather than a blanket statewide ban, Texas enacted targeted legislation that removes these roommate restrictions specifically within college and university towns to ease student housing shortages.

Hutchinson says he expects the trend of older adults living with roommates to grow, since housing affordability is unlikely to improve significantly in the near future.

And while the money-saving aspect of these arrangements is important, Hutchinson says these roommates have created little communities and connections that are equally important.

"Three, four people living in an apartment is like a little family for as long as they're together," he says.