Summary

Many older Australians report a desire to age in place. This bulletin explores the relationship between this desire and the housing circumstances of older Australians of different tenure types; that is, those who own their home outright, those paying a mortgage and those who rent their home either privately or through social housing. The bulletin is in two parts: Volume 1 explores how often households move and attitudes towards moving or staying; Volume 2 focuses on the financial circumstances of older Australians in relation to housing and wellbeing. Volume 2 is expected to be released late in 2013.

The findings of Volume 1 indicate that:

  • although the vast majority of older Australians own their home outright, this proportion is expected to decline into the future
  • location is a major motivating factor for older people in deciding where to live
  • outright owners are more likely to intend to age in place, and exhibit the highest levels of satisfaction with their housing
  • the majority of private renters intend to move in the next 5 years and report the fewest number of reasons for wanting to stay in their current home
  • among public housing tenants, housing mobility declines from the ages of around 20 to 60, but there is a subsequent, rapid increase in housing mobility from the age of 60.