Rental housing provision for lower-income older Australians: scoping the issues, clarifying policy choices and developing a program of research

Summary

The number of people aged 65 years or over in low-income rental households will more than double by 2026. The increased demand from older, low-income households will not be answered by the social housing sector alone. A broader strategy to ensure matching of needs of older people on low incomes to their preferences should address a range of tenure types including private rental and the new affordable private rental housing sector.


Project Number: 20170
Research Theme: Health_Ageing_and_Disability, Private_rental
Project Leader: Jones, Andrew
Funding Year: 2002
Research Centre: Queensland

Research and Policy Bulletin

Research & Policy Bulletin

Issue 096: Rental housing for lower-income older Australians

The number of people aged 65 years or over in low-income rental households will more than double by 2026. The social housing system, at its current growth rate, will not meet their needs.

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Description

This research involved demographic projections of older renters, examined their housing preferences, and analysed the supply capacity of the public and private rental sectors to respond.

The key findings of the research are:

  • The number of people aged 65 and over living in lower-income rental households is projected to increase by 115 per cent from 195 000 in 2001 to 419 000 in 2026.
  • The greatest projected change is in the 85 and over age range where the number of low-income renters is estimated to increase by 194 per cent, from 17 300 to 51 000.
  • Provision of suitable housing for this population group is required to enable them to age well.
  • The core housing attributes valued by older renters include autonomy, security, social connectivity, amenity, adaptability and affordability.
  • The lack of supply growth in the social housing sector means it is unlikely to be able to adequately respond to the demand from older renters. A steadily increasing proportion will be renting in the market sector.

More Information

Download now Research and Policy Bulletin: Issue 096: Rental housing for lower-income older Australians
146 KB PDF Document

Download now Final Report: No. 098: Rental housing provision for lower-income older Australians
1.2MB PDF Document

Download now Positioning Paper: No. 071: Rental housing provision for lower-income older Australians
1.7 MB PDF Document

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