Southampton is popular with retirees and has been voted the second best city to retire to in the UK when comparing house prices, crime rates, local amenities and other aspects[i].
A historical port city, Southampton is home to the SeaCity Museum with an interactive model of the Titanic which departed from here in 1912, and the Tudor House and Garden with displays covering 800 years of history. There are art museums, a busy harbour area and the green spaces of Southampton Common, and 38 beaches close by.
According to retirement rentals brand My Future Living Southampton is a firm favourite with people looking to retire by the sea.
Nygel Scourfield, Chief Executive, My Future Living said, “Southampton is a popular place for people in Greater London and the southeast to move to when they retire. Often seaside coastal resorts can become very quiet in the winter months. This isn’t the case with Southampton which has something to keep people occupied no matter what the time of year or interests they have. It’s also affordable for people looking to downsize and rent in a retirement community.
“We’re seeing more people choosing to rent in later life. Not only can it enable people to free up capital in a home, they can live maintenance free and independently in their own apartment but with likeminded people around them to socialise with in the communal areas.
One retiree who is enjoying retirement living close to Southampton is 71 year old Glyn Jones, who has lived in Ida Court, a retirement development for the over 60s in Woolston for 10 months. He is renting an apartment through My Future Living, which has easy access to shops and amenities, buses to the city centre and a five minute walk to the train station.
Glen is currently on a shorthold tenancy but hopes to move onto an assured ‘lifetime’ tenancy at the end of his first year so that he can stay as long as he wishes, providing he keeps to the terms of his agreement.
He says, “I was a bit taken a back at first about how attractive the area, the development and gardens are. There are only 14 apartments at Ida Court so it looks more like a mansion block and has a really nice outlook. I am in a one bedroom apartment on the 1st floor which has a lovely alcove I can sit in and look out of the window.”
One of the benefits for Glyn, who lives alone, is the community element of living in a retirement development. He has become good friends with his neighbour who is 93 and regularly socialises with the other residents in the communal lounge and gardens.
Glyn adds, “I’m really happy living here. I can’t believe my luck in having such a fantastic apartment. Even though it’s not in an area I’m overly familiar with I’m looking forward to exploring more.
“I hadn’t considered renting in retirement before moving here, but I highly recommend it, especially for those that want to downsize from a larger home like my neighbour did some years ago. The community is really nice and I’m hoping I will stay here for a long time.”
To find out more about renting a home in a retirement development visit: www.myfutureliving.co.uk
[i] https://www.pensionbee.com/blog/2020/october/best-places-to-retire-in-the-uk
