hapi Chemistry – Janie & Odin’s Smart Homeshare

What happens when an 84-year-old actress with a love for independence meets a 45-year-old Norwegian concierge and doorman who thrives on organisation? A little magic, of course! But this isn’t the plot of a new movie; it’s the real-life story of Janie and Odin, brought together by smart homeshare initiative, hapipod.com.

Having recently filmed an episode of Harry Potter, Janie is still enjoying acting in her senior years. It has allowed her to afford a comfortable life in her three bedroom Victorian house in Hackney, which she has shared with lodgers for over four decades. 

Maintaining her independence is important to her, and recently, Janie realised she just needed a little practical back-up at home. Whilst agencies could provide her with paid help, she also wanted to make money from her spare room. Then, a friend told her about hapipod.com, a smart homeshare matching site where she could find compatible lodgers who provide help and good company as well as an income. That is how she found Odin, who just loves sorting things out!

Nestled in her large old sofa, she expresses herself with theatrical aplomb, “It’s wonderful because Odin is such a nice guy, and he helps me with everything. He cleans much more than I ever did. I’m very short, and he helps me reach things that I can’t. He’s completely the opposite to me. He’s wonderfully organised. And so when I lose things, he finds them.”  

Finding the Right Fit with Smart Homeshare

Clearly delighted with Odin’s practical skills, she adds, “In terms of personality, he’s lovely. It’s great fun. We both make each other laugh, which is always essential in my life, and it’s working very well.”

Compatibility is fundamental to successful homeshares, and as such, is at the core of the hapipod.com smart homeshare formula. The site enables hosts and lodgers to post detailed room listings and character profiles, and to match based on skills, requirements, personality and interests. Once they match, members can connect directly and assess one another’s finer points. 

Janie and Odin found they had a thespian passion in common, as well as a coincidental social connection. They genuinely enjoy each other’s company, almost because of, rather than despite, their age gap.  “I’m a single person coming home. Cooking for yourself becomes a bit monotone. Here, there’s someone to share with. Sometimes we share a meal, sometimes we cook separate meals. But it brings a little bit more life into the routine. And because we don’t have the same history, it’s more sort of interesting,” says Odin.

Creature Comforts

Since coming to study in London, Odin has had various lodgings over the years, but Janie’s homeshare opportunity gave him a room unlike any he could match on his budget. His gratitude for its unique suitability shines through.

“I would never in a billion years have got a room like this anywhere in the UK on the open market. It’s very me. It’s period, high ceilings, big windows overlooking the back, which is nice because it’s quiet at night, and it’s big enough to eat, sleep and rest in,” he recounts enthusiastically.

Reaping the Rewards

Odin pays Janie £350 per month, including bills and lends a hand around the house for up to eight hours each week.  For Janie, the extra money is vital, but the additional help is priceless!

Odin is, by profession, a wizard with housekeeping; he also helps with technology and runs a few errands to the shops, the latter of which they do for each other, in fact. He’s even helped her film clips for her auditions. The fact that he is a male presence in the house is an additional benefit for Janie, “I’m a woman on my own, you know, and he’s a strong young man, and that’s helpful. And he makes me feel safe and secure, and that’s important.” 

While enjoying the shared space together, the pair respect each other’s boundaries. Janie states confidently that they know when to give each other privacy, “I have my own room. He has his own room. He has his own bathroom, which is a help, so it’s easy to be by yourself, if you want to be.”

Location Location

The location, as well as the living space, was an issue for Odin. Finding a convenient area and slashing his commute “makes quality of life go through the roof” he says, particularly in London, where you can cut your journey from over an hour to just twenty minutes if you are lucky. Reduced room and transport costs have knock-on benefits too, he adds, “It’s not just the saving. It’s also that I can go for the work that I want rather than the work that I have to take. So, to me, I’m kind of buying my freedom of choice.” 

Giving and Gaining with Smart Homeshare

Interestingly, the giving aspect of this reciprocal living arrangement adds to his feeling of personal gain. hapipod homeshares, unlike normal lodging contracts, require the parties to make pre-agreed, though flexible, commitments to one another regarding shared time and practical activities, beyond simply the price of a room.

This creates a ‘win-win’ for everyone.

Odin explains, “Life can be very transactional, especially in the city. Having someone you can help, I guess, in a profound way, also gives a bit of, ‘oh, actually I’m useful.’ And seeing that what I can contribute also brings added value to someone else, kind of creates a circle of positive energy.” 

Janie agrees, “I think he knows that he’s a companion more than just a lodger. And I think that’s the hapipod system. And if you get the right people, it works very, very well.”

See also – The Power of Connection: How hapipod Homeshare Transforms Lives

Tailored solutions

This smart homeshare initiative, which offers a mutually beneficial shared living model, has been life-changing for both Janie and Odin, who represent a traditional intergenerational match. But the hapipod site caters to all types of households and people of all ages and circumstances.

So, as well as lone householders of any age looking for practical help, hosts may be families looking for help with childcare, and since many lodgers are in their fifties and even sixties, homeshares can be between people of the same age or a different generation.

Odin believes that flexibility is the real advantage of the hapipod site. “There is freedom for the lodger and the householder to come to an arrangement that works for them. So it gives the members the flexibility to make their own tailored arrangements. It’s not sort of funnelling things down in a perceived ‘this is what it should be’ way, which my personality doesn’t like, in principle. hapipod leaves it to the members to make it work for them.”

If you’d like to find out more about hapipod or create your own ideal smart homeshare, visit hapipod.com. The site is offering 6 months free membership for people who register before 31^st March 2026.