9 standards that would better assist older renters

The Ageing in Place: Home and Housing for Australia’s Older Renters report, from Anglicare Australia, details the tribulations faced by Australian tenants aged 50 and over. 

As previously reported on REB, Australia’s older renters spent 25 per cent more of their income on housing as opposed to home owners and were more likely to live in accommodation that lacks the infrastructure to accommodate their declining physical health — like ramps and railings — or insulation that protects against winter cold and summer heat, which can be deadly for some.  

Just 46 per cent of renters believe their home is suitable for an older Australian, far below the 70 per cent of home owners. 

Acknowledging the benefits of Australians ageing in place, Anglicare Australia has highlighted a number of ways that suitability can be improved: 

Build social housing for older people:

Australia’s social housing stock is far from where it needs to be. Anglicare Australia has stated that “the private market does not, and will never, provide an adequate supply of affordable and appropriate housing”. With over 400,000 women over 45 at risk of entering homelessness, the body is calling for a rapid increase in the number of social houses built annually to 25,000 in order to help meet demand.

Look into alternative rental models:

There are many barriers, financial or otherwise, that prevent older Australians from buying into existing retirement home models or the private housing market. Anglicare Australia is proposing the implementation of alternative models to help meet the shortfall, such as:

• Housing cooperatives
• More rental options in retirement villages
• Co-housing models

Such models should be trialled and expanded across the country, with government involvement — be it through investment, policy or otherwise — crucial to their success.

Guarantee the rights to aged-care services:

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Final Report recommended a new Aged Care Act, specifically a rights-based act. As this was its first recommendation, it highlights the significance of such a decision to transform the aged-care system.

In a joint statement with the Older Person’s Advocacy Network, Anglicare Australia called for the inclusion of rights:

• To equitable access and outcomes
• To exercise choice
• To autonomy
• To presumption of legal capacity
• To make decisions about their care and the quality of their lives
• To social participation and enjoyment
• To fair, equitable and non-discriminatory treatment in receiving care

As part of the consultation process to develop the Aged Care Homelessness Action Plan, older Australians urged for the inclusion of the right to aged-care services wherever they live, and regardless of the tenure or temporary nature of the accommodation, or the quality of their housing.

Strengthen regional stewardship in home care:

Proposed home-care reforms lack a strong regional and market stewardship approach — which requires the government to take an active role in system planning, regional development and monitoring.

Effective framework would require robust data and evidence plus regional offices that can recognize and monitor local care networks and supply local innovation. There is a need for targeted, evidence-based funding to improve service access and availability for vulnerable groups, including First Nations people, people experiencing homelessness, and people in rural and remote areas.

Invest in further Assistance with Care and Housing (ACH) program:

The ACH program requires support to match the demand for its services. Currently, the funding allocated to the program covers roughly 10 per cent of their costs, and considering the demand for such a program, more funding is needed to provide support.

Reform and increase rent assistance:

The Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) should be an important protection against poverty for older renters; however, the last 25 years have seen the cost of rents increase by more than twice as much as the CRA, rendering it near obsolete.

Restructuring the CRA is in dire need. Anglicare Australia urges an increase to the CRA in tandem with a restructure of the payment. A one-off increase would not be satisfactory. CRA payments need to be indexed to average rents by geographical location to ensure they keep up with rental increases.

Invest in retrofitting programs:

Many older renters live in insufficient homes that lack enough resources, such as insulation and five-star energy ratings, to benefit their health and their financial situation. The Energy National Cabinet Reform Committee is dedicated to the development of energy-efficient standards for rentals.

To assist landlords in their preparations for the implementation of the standards and encourage compliance, the government can invest in energy-efficiency audits and retrofits for low-income rental households.

Strengthen rental rights:

National consistent protections for renters, akin to the latest legislative implementations in Victoria and the ACT, are needed to promote security for renters and increase their wellness, as well as allow the ability to undertake modifications, restrict unjustified rent increases and introduce minimum standards for rentals.

Make minimum accessibility standards mandatory:

The revised National Construction Code, which includes provisions for mandatory minimum accessibility standards, have not been implemented in NSW and Western Australia, which have opted for their own voluntary standards citing the costs of the national code as a major barrier.

Anglicare Australia is imploring these states to implement these accessibility standards to assist older Australians.