National Seniors -

Older Australians are facing an increasingly uphill battle with the cost of renting in the private market, data from the Productivity Commission’s 2017 Report on Government Services shows.

Without access to Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA), 57.2 per cent of people aged over 75 years would have been in housing stress across Australia in 2016, according to the statistics.

After receiving CRA, a staggering 26.5 per cent of recipients aged 75 years or over were still in housing stress in 2016, up from 25.5 per cent in 2015.

Housing stress is commonly defined as being a situation where more than 30 per cent of income is spent on rent or mortgage payments. Those in housing stress have less income available to spend on other essential goods and services, such as food, utilities, transport and clothing.

The housing stress situation is more pronounced in capital city areas, with as many as 29.5 per cent of CRA recipients aged 75 years or over paying more than 30 per cent of income on rent Australia-wide.

Not surprisingly, housing stress among older Australians is more pronounced in specific states and territories. Overall, housing stress is highest in the ACT (33.7 per cent) followed by the Northern Territory (31.5 per cent) and Queensland (30.5 per cent).

The proportion of people aged 75 years or over in housing stress in the major cities is broadly consistent with median market rents in these areas. 

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