Centre for Ageing Better responds to the Housing White Paper

The Centre for Ageing Better welcomes the reference to the housing needs of our ageing population in today’s Housing White Paper. We know that over the next 25 years, the proportion of households where the oldest person is 85 or over will grow faster than any other age group and homes that meet the needs of older people will be in greater demand.

Further understanding on housing options available, and insight on what people themselves want to do, should inform any measures which incentivise 'downsizing'. There need to be appropriate and diverse housing options for people to move to, within the area they want to live and across all tenures. This includes new housing stock that is accessible, adaptable and affordable.

The white paper also addresses the need to change the private rental market, but does not take into account the specific needs of people in later life. There is an increasing number of older private renters – 200,000 older adults joined the rental market in the last four years, and it’s estimated that a third of over 60-year-olds could be living in private rental property by 2040. But they could face non-regulated rents; loose landlord regulations; short-term tenancies; and poor housing standards with houses in disrepair and not adapted for their needs.

All these issues need to be addressed if the housing market is to meet the changing needs of our ageing population.