New report finds older renters getting pushed into aged care

Anglicare Australia has released its 2022 Rental Affordability Snapshot, and one of its key findings is that ageing renters are being forced out of their homes and into care as they move onto the Age Pension. With only 0.7% of rental properties being affordable on the pension, aged care is the only affordable option, despite 90% of those Anglicare surveyed wanting to remain in their homes and age in place.

“Many of these (rentals) are in share houses that may not actually be suitable for an older person. It is unacceptable that a growing number of older Australians are forced to live in unaffordable or insecure housing,” the report notes.

The report also found those on the Disability Support Pension to be even more severely disadvantaged. It goes on to suggest a number of solutions to the rental affordability challenge, including rental assistance reform, raising social security payments, tax reform, longer-term leases, and building more social housing.