Do you want to make sure that your golden years are filled with plenty of peace and quiet? If so, you should look into the possibility of living in a senior community as opposed to the community you’re living in right now.
Thanks to the Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995 and other laws like it, it shouldn’t be very difficult for you to find a senior living community that you love somewhere in the general vicinity of your current community. Senior communities have popped up all over the place over the course of the last 20 years or so.
But before you fall in love with the idea of moving into a senior living community, you should keep in mind that you will need to be a certain age to do it. The age that you’ll need to be will depend largely on which senior living community you choose to move into in the near future.
Learn more about what age you’ll need to be to move into a senior community below
To Start, What Is a Senior Living Community?
Before we begin talking about how old you need to be to live in a senior community, it’s important for you to know exactly what one is. This will help you decide whether or not one is right for you.
A senior living community is, as its name would imply, a community that is designed to house seniors. Often times, the housing options in a senior living community include everything from small houses to townhouses to condos.
Older people choose to live in senior communities for a wide variety of reasons. In some cases, they opt to do it because these communities are known for being quiet and kid-free. In others, they decide to do it because these communities surround them with people who share their same interests.
There is no law saying you have to move into a senior community at a certain age. You’re free to live wherever you want throughout the duration of your life. But places like Renew Senior Communities are a great option for those who are getting up there in age.
What Are the Different Types of Senior Communities?
Over the years, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has worked to clearly define what constitutes a senior community. They’ve done so in an effort to designate who can and who cannot live in specific senior communities.
As part of this process, they’ve come up with two different types of senior communities. There are 62-and-older communities as well as 55-and-older communities.
The names of these two types of senior communities might lead you to believe that you have to be either 62 or 55 to live in them. But as you’re going to find out in a moment, that is not always the case.
How Old Do You Have to Be to Live in a Senior Community?
Your age is obviously going to play a big role as far as whether or not you’re permitted to live in a senior community. But it’s not always going to be as cut and dry as being either 62 or 55 and being allowed to live in a certain senior living community.
Of the two different types of senior communities, 62-and-older ones have more stringent rules and regulations attached to them. In order to live in one of these communities, you and anyone else living in your home have to be 62 or older.
There is only one exception made in 62-and-older senior communities. If a person has handicaps that are legally recognized, they may have the option to move into one of these communities without being 62 or older.
The rules and regulations regarding 55-and-older senior communities are a little bit more relaxed than the ones for 62-and-older senior communities. In fact, there are some situations in which children are allowed to live in senior communities despite their young age.
A home in a 55-year-old senior community needs to have at least one person who is 55 living in it. But that person’s spouse can live with them in their house, even if they’re not 55 yet. Additionally, if a person or a couple has legal guardianship of kids, those kids can also live with them in their house.
There are also some senior communities that set aside upwards of 20% of their homes and rent them to the 55-and-under crowd. They do this to avoid having any of their homes sit vacant for extended periods of time.
Will Your Age Restrict You in Any Way in a Senior Living Community?
If you’re 55 and living in a 55-and-older community or 62 and living in a 62-and-older community, you won’t have to worry about your privileges being restricted in any way. Your community is literally set up to help you take full advantage of amenities like swimming pools, spas, exercise rooms, and more.
But if you’re moving into a 55-and-older or 62-and-older community and you fall under those ages, you might not be able to use all the available amenities. These amenities are usually reserved for those who are either 55-and-older or 62-and-older.
You should consider this when you’re thinking about possibly moving into a senior community. You want to make sure that you’re going to be able to use everything in the community and not be limited because of your age.
Is a Senior Community the Right Option for You?
Now that you know a little bit more about senior living communities and what they have to offer, do you think one might be right for you?
If so, you should see which senior community options exist in your area. You should also see what types of amenities they extend to those who live in them.
And of course, you should check in with them to see if you’re the right age to move into one. Your age might hinder you from moving into some communities or stop you from using all the amenities in them.
For more tips on moving into a new home, read through the informative articles on our blog.
