Co-housing project for retirees opens on eastern Costa del Sol

With an investment of 11 million euros, 65 members and a waiting list, the first “silver cohousing” community is now a reality in Rincón de la Victoria on the eastern Costa del Sol. The complex, designed for independent retirement through a housing transfer scheme, is a benchmark in Spain.

The first stone was laid in 2023 and two of the partners, Eduardo Pérez and Carlos Herrero, unveiled a plaque during the official inauguration of the cooperative on Friday 7 November.

Located on Avenida de Picasso, between the Cueva del Tesoro and El Cantal, it is ‘a group of housing units with no owners’. This is the key, because although it looks like a typical block of flats, with common areas, a swimming pool and gardens, it is the result of the cooperative effort of a group of retired people, or who are due to retire and who have each contributed around 140,000 euros.

The result of this joint effort, which began in 2019 with the search for a suitable plot of land, is an investment of 11 million euros, with 65 members and a waiting list twice as long. The project will generate 20 jobs and 25 per cent of the care places will be allocated to Rincón de la Victoria, at no cost, with the idea of being open to the community.

This formula is designed so that no one has to leave the community, under any circumstances, even if they suffer from severe dependency, as it is planned that the members of this community will receive all the necessary care, always in their own place of residence in Tartessos. This is how the president of the cooperative, José Antonio López, explains it, emphasising that, in terms of volume, this “cohousing” is the largest in Spain.

The operation is not for profit as the president of the housing cooperative explained and this has been made possible after negotiations with the town hall, which facilitated the processing on a plot of land designated for social use. Mayor Francisco Salado, who was present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, recalled that when the idea was first launched, it involved “some risks” that he took, he said, “with the aim of seeking the common good”.

With the work now complete, apart from a few finishing touches, the mayor is convinced that the system, which offers a real alternative for facilitating access to housing for people of all ages, can be extended to the rest of Malaga and Andalucía and beyond, with the support of higher-level administrations.