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At the end of the twentieth century, “intergenerational housing” was introduced in Spain. Over the years, the formula has been repeated in other European countries to promote shared living between students and retirees. At a time when the economic crisis still exists in Europe—as has been the case since 2008, following the collapse of different systems, including the housing loan system granted to American homeowners—, the paper examines the outcome of house-sharing originally encouraged by the values of solidarity between age groups. As a first step, it is a matter of restoring what the terms “cohabitation,” “flatshare” and “intergenerational housing” mean. Leaving aside familial forms, house-sharing arrangements between older people and younger people in higher education are analyzed in their diversity and their evolution by a socio-anthropological approach. This feedback relies on a comparison between living arrangements and their organization undertaken in 2005 in France and in Spain (Némoz, 2007), as well as on the analysis of institutionalization processes that have since evolved. The results show a strengthening of financial issues in times of economic crisis without actually delivering the promise of developing social solidarity between generations. Finally, this paradox is demonstrated by a comparative and reflective approach to a broader range of socioeconomic constraints and considerations at the heart of this residential innovation.