Back to Tangible FreebiesFree Housing
Just think of how free housing could help your budget. Its not uncommon for individuals and families to spend half of what they make just on their rent or mortgage alone. If they can find ways to reduce their housing costs then they'd be free to use their funds on other necessities. This page is here to offer ideas for obtaining free housing.
The only example I've seen of someone living absolutely free was the modern caveman (yep, he lives in a cave). Read about him in the article: Could you survive without money? Meet the guy who does. You can also read Suelo's blog and website.
Government and charities for low-income families.
Government and charity resources are mentioned first because this is one of the few ways in which housing can be absolutely free. Charities are more likely to just offer a place to sleep for the night. Government housing may offer more permanent residence, but the waiting lists for free housing are usually long. They require that the person requesting the housing have a low income or no income, and maybe even dependents. HUD.gov.
Free Housing Jobs
Obviously if you're a hired employee you're not getting something for free because you're working at a job. However, if your job comes with free rent, utilities, and you're getting paid a salary, then the salary you earn won't get absorbed by housing expenses. A number of jobs may offer free housing as a perk:
- Apartment Manager (for Apartment complex, hotel, travel lodge, etc.)
- Apartment Maintenance (when separate from apartment manager)
- Grounds manager (when separate from apartment manager)
- Care taker (watch peoples' homes when they're gone)
- Care giver (assist someone in need in their home)
- Nanny/babysitter
- Resident Assistant (for students in dorms)
- Maid, Butler, other servant jobs
Find a job that offers free housing by searching on a job search engine for terms like "free housing", "free rent", and "live-in". Any classified ads website, job search engine, or classifieds in print could have these ads.
Mortgage-Free Homes
Any home that can be paid for in full will not require a mortgage. These homes will not be absolutely free since a rent or tax is required for the land.
The initial payment for the home usually costs something, but not always. Believe it or not, I've actually seen ads for at least two free homes. One was a mobile home that was posted on Craigslist in the San Francisco bay area. Another was for a portable home in Sandy, Utah. These homes were offered free, however the people that received each of them was responsible for getting them off the land where they were located. The portable home in Utah also required that the new location have a foundation.
Types of mortgage-free homes:
Mortgage-Free For Ad Space, Billboard Homes
Offer the outside wall of your home as advertising space and let the advertising pay for your mortgage. You would have to make sure there aren't any state laws or home owner's association rules that prohibit home advertising in your neighborhood. You would also have to be comfortable with the ad on the front of your home. This idea was inspired by Adzookie, an advertising company who pays home-owners' mortgages for turning their houses into billboards. If Adzookie does it, there may be other companies willing to do it. This is similar to Human Billboards and other "Get Paid To" programs.
Free Land
Claims have been found online that land is given away in some states. This is to encourage rural development and growth. The catch is that you have be willing to move to where they are giving away land and make that your primary residence for a period of time. This is a continuing investigation by Actually Free. This page will be updated when this is verified by a reliable source.
Rent Out Space in Your Home
If you have extra space in your home, you can rent it out to travelers and let your home help to pay for itself. AirBNB was cited on Yahoo! Finance as a good place to list your space. (listing is free, not tested by ActuallyFree.info). See also Vacation Freebies for similar resources and free lodging while on vacation.
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