Housing at the Edge: Retiring Australians in the Private Rental Market
Australia is undergoing a profound and accelerating transformation in its housing system, reshaping long-standing assumptions about security, stability, and access to appropriate housing across the life course. Increasingly, older people in Australia are entering retirement without home ownership, marking a significant departure from historic norms, and exposing a growing cohort to housing insecurity in a private rental market that is structurally ill-equipped to meet long-term needs.
By 2031, an estimated 440,000 older households will be unable to access suitable or affordable housing (AHURI, 2026), highlighting both the scale and urgency of the challenge. At the same time, retirees renting in the private market are spending between 45% and 65% of their income on housing costs, far exceeding accepted affordability thresholds and placing sustained pressure on wellbeing, financial resilience, and the capacity to age with dignity and stability. Unaffordable and unstable housing also significantly affects older people’s ability to access aged care.
