Most affordable housing rents out of reach for low-income households

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 19:38 · Archive

Only 19 per cent of affordable housing rentals goes to low-income households that can afford it, a think tank report finds.

A report by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia and consultancy group Urbis has found that only 19 per cent of affordable housing rentals go to low-income households eligible for social housing. In Sydney and Melbourne the figure is 18 per cent, while in Perth it is 10 per cent.

Despite their name, many affordable homes are out of reach because rents are set as a proportion of market rate rather than a household's income level. Broad eligibility criteria also mean medium-income households often access affordable housing, displacing those who need it most.

Report co-author Danika Adams said the system is failing the households it was designed to help. Moving one in ten households from the social housing waitlist into genuinely affordable housing would give almost 19,000 families a secure home without building new dwellings.

Greens Senator Barbara Pocock attributed the problem to the lack of a national definition for affordable housing, which has allowed property developers to advertise homes above median market rates while claiming affordability.

How it is being reported

• 'Cooked': few affordable homes go to those that need itWithout a national definition of affordable housing, rents are often set too high and affordable homes seldom go to those who need it, a think tank reports.Perth Now · 21 Oct, 19:04
• 'Cooked': few affordable homes go to those that need itWithout a national definition of affordable housing, rents are often set too high and affordable homes seldom go to those who need it, a think tank reports.The West Australian · 21 Oct, 19:04

In this story: Committee for Economic Development of Australia · Danika Adams · Barbara Pocock · Urbis · Sydney · Melbourne · Perth

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem