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Rising Rents Have More Sacramento Residents Searching For Roommates

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — High rents are forcing more and more young adults to ditch the private life to live with roommates.

Experts say it's a trend that may be saving people thousands of dollars a year.

Meet Zebadiah Juniel, an aspiring firefighter, and Jason Simpson, an aspiring correctional officer. The young men in their 20s are sharing their Sacramento home.

"That's really the main thing just money; rent's high," said Juniel.

"Half the stuff you don't have to worry about—rent, finances, and food," said Simpson.

And they're not alone. Recent studies show shared housing is on the rise. The latest one by makeroomusa.org says the number of 25 to 34-year-olds living with roommates has increased about 40% nationwide in the last decade.

"It's pretty unbelievable. Sort of shows just how much is changing for this generation," said Paul Burke.

Burke developed a room-finding app called RentHoop. He says it's like the dating app Tinder, for roommates. He's mostly focused on big cities like Seattle and Los Angeles. But in the two years since launching the app, Burke says Sacramento remains Rent Hoop's growing market.

"We're just seeing it go up because it's not just college students anymore, it's young adults," he said.

He cites a study by smartasset.com that says living with a roommate in Sacramento can save each person $500 a month.

For Juniel and Simpson, it makes sense. They pay about $1,200 for their two-bedroom home. Two years ago it was going for $300 less.

Now, they're saving money and finding ways to make it together.

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