New research calls for Boomers to end housing crisis by renting out some of the 13 million spare rooms across the country

New research has called for Boomers to end the housing crisis as relief ‘is not in sight’, with the government urged to incentivise older Australians to step in.

Fresh research has called for Boomers to rent out their spare bedrooms in a bid to address the country’s housing crisis.

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

The report 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”.

“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.

A new report has called for older Australians to rent out their spare rooms to younger Aussies struggling to find somewhere to rent.

The government should incentivise older Australians to open up their spare bedrooms to renters, according to the report, with older Australians also no stranger to the cost of living crisis sweeping the nation.

“The housing crisis is a complex matter and new housing supply is years away, despite billions of dollars of government commitments,” the report states.

“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 Government regularly meets with industry and academia to discuss policies that will allow us to meet our ambitious housing target of building 1.2 million homes, so further ideas are always welcome,” a government spokesman said.

“Meeting this ambitious target will certainly be a challenge and it won’t happen overnight, but it’s a challenge we have to meet in order to make housing more affordable.”

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.

“There is an urgent need for further research to be undertaken to explore opportunities to incentivise, educate, support, and protect older Australians to open their homes and unlock existing housing stock for immediate use by those in need.”

The report pushed for the government to incentivise the idea. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

The report also noted demand for housing is set to outstrip supply in Australia until at least 2029, according to the government’s State of the Housing System report.

“Relief from the housing crisis is not in sight,” the QUT report stated.

The calls follow recent findings that housing affordability in Australia has deteriorated to its “worst level on record” amid high mortgage rates and increasing home prices.

PropTrack’s latest Housing Affordability Report found a typical median-income household – earning around $112,000 – can afford just 14 per cent of homes sold across the country, with NSW, Tasmania and Victoria experiencing the worst housing affordability rate.

Originally published as New research calls for Boomers to end housing crisis by renting out some of the 13 million spare rooms across the country