Older Australians urged to help ease housing crisis

The report from the Queensland University of Technology has called for older Australians to rent out the spare rooms to provide “short-term relief to both the rental and the cost of living crisis”.

“Millions of empty bedrooms exist and yet many older homeowners live in poverty rather than risk losing their pension or paying taxes by renting out a spare bedroom.”

The report conceded potential barriers could include social issues like elder abuse.

“However, under the right circumstances, with appropriate support and education, such ‘house sharing’ arrangements could alleviate some of the current housing and cost of living issues,” the report stated.

“If new housing stock is years away, then shifting the focus to existing housing may provide some short-term solutions,” the report states.

More than six million homes have one or two spare bedrooms, while one million households have three or more spare bedrooms.

There are more than 13 million spare bedrooms across the country, according to the research , meaning 76 per cent of Aussie households have spare rooms.