Australia is currently facing a severe housing affordability crisis, resulting in a surprising new trend: older Ausssies are willingly giving up their family homes to provide their children and grandchildren with a stable place to live.

With homeownership rates at historically low levels, more and more seniors are choosing to downsize to granny flats, allowing their children and grandchildren to reside in the family home.

It's a noble sacrifice many older Aussies say they're willing to make so the next generation can experience 'growing up in a home'.

This comes after it was also recently reported that older Aussies—particularly women—were forced to move in with strangers just to keep a roof over their heads.

Older Aussies are moving into granny flats and giving up their homes so that their kids and grandkids have somewhere to live. Credit: Pexels.

In Victoria, there's a significant change on the horizon regarding regulations for granny flats. Reports say some older residents have already relocated to these smaller living spaces.

New legislation is scheduled to become effective by the end of this year in Victoria. It will make granny flats legally available for rent to address the critical housing shortage.

South Australia is also working on a similar plan. But it's worth noting that in both states, it is already legal for family members to rent out these flats—an arrangement that's becoming more popular across the country.

One example of this is Racheal Robinson, a grandmother from Victoria, who decided to sell her long-time family home and use the proceeds to help her son, Scott, his wife, and her granddaughter Renee, in purchasing a property on the Mornington Peninsula.

As she approaches her 80th birthday, she plans to move into a granny flat that will be constructed at the rear of this new property.

In an interview with a news source, Scott explained their situation. He said they had been renting a home for the past decade, and the only feasible way to re-enter the property market was by combining their resources.

'The easiest way to do that was to buy a house where we could have a granny flat and share the costs of living,' he continued.

'That's what we've had to do just to get on to the ladder, to get the Australian dream.'

This new living arrangement will also allow Scott to provide better care and support for his ageing mother in the coming years.

A recent development in Victoria's housing regulations makes this plan more feasible. Under the revised Victorian Housing Statement, a small secondary residence under 60 square metres on a property no smaller than 300 square metres won't need a town planning permit.

These secondary dwellings can also be rented out. However, the construction of such units still requires a building permit, and some planning controls, such as overlays, may necessitate a more detailed approval process.

​

Just recently, an expert pointed out a concerning issue in Australia: retirees who live in homes with more bedrooms than they require are 'contributing' to the nation's housing crisis.

Michael Blythe, an economist, suggested that seniors should consider downsizing their homes to create more housing space for those who truly need it.

While he acknowledged that finding a solution isn't straightforward, he argued the need to make tough decisions sooner rather than later.

'We've got an excess of bedrooms, just not in the right place,' he said, adding: 'Maybe instead of first home buyers, we should be thinking about last home buyers.'

Key Takeaways

• An increasing number of older Australians are moving into granny flats and handing over their homes to younger family members due to the nation's housing crisis.
• This trend has seen older Australians making sacrifices, moving out of their homes to allow their children or grandchildren to live in them.
• Changes to legislation due by the end of the year will make it legal to rent out granny flats in Victoria to tackle the issue of inadequate housing availability.
• Economist Michael Blythe said seniors should consider downsizing their homes, which could help ease Australia's housing crisis.

Members, what are your thoughts on these developments? Do you agree that moving into granny flats and letting your children have the family home is the way to go? And what are your thoughts on downsizing? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

 

[kevinwoodtufftyke52@gmail]

Australia is currently facing a severe housing affordability crisis, resulting in a surprising new trend: older Ausssies are willingly giving up their family homes to provide their children and grandchildren with a stable place to live.

With homeownership rates at historically low levels, more and more seniors are choosing to downsize to granny flats, allowing their children and grandchildren to reside in the family home.

It's a noble sacrifice many older Aussies say they're willing to make so the next generation can experience 'growing up in a home'.

This comes after it was also recently reported that older Aussies—particularly women—were forced to move in with strangers just to keep a roof over their heads.

View attachment 32445

Older Aussies are moving into granny flats and giving up their homes so that their kids and grandkids have somewhere to live. Credit: Pexels.

In Victoria, there's a significant change on the horizon regarding regulations for granny flats. Reports say some older residents have already relocated to these smaller living spaces.

New legislation is scheduled to become effective by the end of this year in Victoria. It will make granny flats legally available for rent to address the critical housing shortage.

South Australia is also working on a similar plan. But it's worth noting that in both states, it is already legal for family members to rent out these flats—an arrangement that's becoming more popular across the country.

One example of this is Racheal Robinson, a grandmother from Victoria, who decided to sell her long-time family home and use the proceeds to help her son, Scott, his wife, and her granddaughter Renee, in purchasing a property on the Mornington Peninsula.

As she approaches her 80th birthday, she plans to move into a granny flat that will be constructed at the rear of this new property.

In an interview with a news source, Scott explained their situation. He said they had been renting a home for the past decade, and the only feasible way to re-enter the property market was by combining their resources.

'The easiest way to do that was to buy a house where we could have a granny flat and share the costs of living,' he continued.

'That's what we've had to do just to get on to the ladder, to get the Australian dream.'

This new living arrangement will also allow Scott to provide better care and support for his ageing mother in the coming years.

A recent development in Victoria's housing regulations makes this plan more feasible. Under the revised Victorian Housing Statement, a small secondary residence under 60 square metres on a property no smaller than 300 square metres won't need a town planning permit.

These secondary dwellings can also be rented out. However, the construction of such units still requires a building permit, and some planning controls, such as overlays, may necessitate a more detailed approval process.

View attachment 32460​

Just recently, an expert pointed out a concerning issue in Australia: retirees who live in homes with more bedrooms than they require are 'contributing' to the nation's housing crisis.

Michael Blythe, an economist, suggested that seniors should consider downsizing their homes to create more housing space for those who truly need it.

While he acknowledged that finding a solution isn't straightforward, he argued the need to make tough decisions sooner rather than later.

'We've got an excess of bedrooms, just not in the right place,' he said, adding: 'Maybe instead of first home buyers, we should be thinking about last home buyers.'

Key Takeaways

• An increasing number of older Australians are moving into granny flats and handing over their homes to younger family members due to the nation's housing crisis.
• This trend has seen older Australians making sacrifices, moving out of their homes to allow their children or grandchildren to live in them.
• Changes to legislation due by the end of the year will make it legal to rent out granny flats in Victoria to tackle the issue of inadequate housing availability.
• Economist Michael Blythe said seniors should consider downsizing their homes, which could help ease Australia's housing crisis.

Members, what are your thoughts on these developments? Do you agree that moving into granny flats and letting your children have the family home is the way to go? And what are your thoughts on downsizing? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

We have looked into downsizing our home but a house we would like is not financially feasible as the house and location and taxes give us a neutral financial benefit. Also the quality of new buildings are not as good as our current house.

 

[claranone]

Australia is currently facing a severe housing affordability crisis, resulting in a surprising new trend: older Ausssies are willingly giving up their family homes to provide their children and grandchildren with a stable place to live.

With homeownership rates at historically low levels, more and more seniors are choosing to downsize to granny flats, allowing their children and grandchildren to reside in the family home.

It's a noble sacrifice many older Aussies say they're willing to make so the next generation can experience 'growing up in a home'.

This comes after it was also recently reported that older Aussies—particularly women—were forced to move in with strangers just to keep a roof over their heads.

View attachment 32445

Older Aussies are moving into granny flats and giving up their homes so that their kids and grandkids have somewhere to live. Credit: Pexels.

In Victoria, there's a significant change on the horizon regarding regulations for granny flats. Reports say some older residents have already relocated to these smaller living spaces.

New legislation is scheduled to become effective by the end of this year in Victoria. It will make granny flats legally available for rent to address the critical housing shortage.

South Australia is also working on a similar plan. But it's worth noting that in both states, it is already legal for family members to rent out these flats—an arrangement that's becoming more popular across the country.

One example of this is Racheal Robinson, a grandmother from Victoria, who decided to sell her long-time family home and use the proceeds to help her son, Scott, his wife, and her granddaughter Renee, in purchasing a property on the Mornington Peninsula.

As she approaches her 80th birthday, she plans to move into a granny flat that will be constructed at the rear of this new property.

In an interview with a news source, Scott explained their situation. He said they had been renting a home for the past decade, and the only feasible way to re-enter the property market was by combining their resources.

'The easiest way to do that was to buy a house where we could have a granny flat and share the costs of living,' he continued.

'That's what we've had to do just to get on to the ladder, to get the Australian dream.'

This new living arrangement will also allow Scott to provide better care and support for his ageing mother in the coming years.

A recent development in Victoria's housing regulations makes this plan more feasible. Under the revised Victorian Housing Statement, a small secondary residence under 60 square metres on a property no smaller than 300 square metres won't need a town planning permit.

These secondary dwellings can also be rented out. However, the construction of such units still requires a building permit, and some planning controls, such as overlays, may necessitate a more detailed approval process.

View attachment 32460​

Just recently, an expert pointed out a concerning issue in Australia: retirees who live in homes with more bedrooms than they require are 'contributing' to the nation's housing crisis.

Michael Blythe, an economist, suggested that seniors should consider downsizing their homes to create more housing space for those who truly need it.

While he acknowledged that finding a solution isn't straightforward, he argued the need to make tough decisions sooner rather than later.

'We've got an excess of bedrooms, just not in the right place,' he said, adding: 'Maybe instead of first home buyers, we should be thinking about last home buyers.'

Key Takeaways

• An increasing number of older Australians are moving into granny flats and handing over their homes to younger family members due to the nation's housing crisis.
• This trend has seen older Australians making sacrifices, moving out of their homes to allow their children or grandchildren to live in them.
• Changes to legislation due by the end of the year will make it legal to rent out granny flats in Victoria to tackle the issue of inadequate housing availability.
• Economist Michael Blythe said seniors should consider downsizing their homes, which could help ease Australia's housing crisis.

Members, what are your thoughts on these developments? Do you agree that moving into granny flats and letting your children have the family home is the way to go? And what are your thoughts on downsizing? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

Not all Seniors are sitting pretty I bought my home in 2017 using my retirement package for a deposit. I put my son’s name on the mortgage the plan was for him to continue living with me and pay half the mortgage and bills. However he assaulted me and I had to put him out after only five months. I now rent half my house to strangers to pay the bills! No rooms going empty at my place!

 

[darrellh]

My husband and I live in a 4 bed 2 bath home and plan to stay here until the last one dies. We are in an ideal position for shops and buses and a safe neighbourhood. Why should we sell up to suit the government when we have spent the money on this place to suit us. Neither of us wants to live in an apartment or retirement village so will stay put to suit ourselves.

 

[Lizzylou]

As more and more people are unable to rent but also unable to buy I know many parents are sharing their house which isn't necessarily a good thing if room is limited. The other issue in SA as that is the state I live in, is that the housing trust had more names on the list for housing then they do houses, of course other issues are that these houses available are not going to families they are going to single people or single parents particularly the young and also of course there are many families with children who are disabled and although they go on the priority list there are not any homes to help house them. It makes for a very messy and difficult situation.

 

[mylittletibbies]

There are literally thousands of state owned homes all over the country that are in desperate need of repairing and upgrading.
This problem has been ignored for years, while the cost of these repairs just goes up and up. These homes should all be repaired immediately, if they can find the labour to do it!!!
People that get some of these homes and wreck them should not be allowed another, but they are quite often given another home, while genuine people languish on the waiting list for years and years, many of them never getting a place.
State housing departments need a complete overhaul, the whole system is a complete shemozzle, like most government departments.

 

[Macarj]

I admit we are unusual when I retired we bought a property in Tasmania it has effectively 2 houses although they are 1 House with 2 separate wings with a breezeway and garage in between so our daughter lives in the west wing with her family that's 3 grand children 4 bedroom house my wife and I live in a 3 bedroom house that does have a sun room we don't charge them rent they pay half of the utilities and we get to see the grandchildren often We have 3 other grandchildren who are only half an hour away 2 to the west and one in Launceston

 

[Benny's Light]

Again lack of planning, forethought and action by governments floating by on times of prosperity and ignoring future proofing have led us to this issue. We built our home with thought of seeing us through until we no longer can remain there. Our considerations meant thinking of the future of being close to shops, services and public transport so we could manage until we needed care. We have looked at downsizing and moving but what we have will be less of a drain on costs. We want to keep our independence for as long as we can and not be a burden.

 

[Colette 3799]

We have two spare bedrooms - most of the time. But we have family in two different states and extended family hours away and overseas. If we downsize any more than we have, where do they all stay when the family comes together? We have a regular stream of visitors, a friend calls our house “the B&B” lol. I feel sorry for the families that can’t find housing, there has to be a solution

 

[IAN3005]

Australia is currently facing a severe housing affordability crisis, resulting in a surprising new trend: older Ausssies are willingly giving up their family homes to provide their children and grandchildren with a stable place to live.

With homeownership rates at historically low levels, more and more seniors are choosing to downsize to granny flats, allowing their children and grandchildren to reside in the family home.

It's a noble sacrifice many older Aussies say they're willing to make so the next generation can experience 'growing up in a home'.

This comes after it was also recently reported that older Aussies—particularly women—were forced to move in with strangers just to keep a roof over their heads.

View attachment 32445

Older Aussies are moving into granny flats and giving up their homes so that their kids and grandkids have somewhere to live. Credit: Pexels.

In Victoria, there's a significant change on the horizon regarding regulations for granny flats. Reports say some older residents have already relocated to these smaller living spaces.

New legislation is scheduled to become effective by the end of this year in Victoria. It will make granny flats legally available for rent to address the critical housing shortage.

South Australia is also working on a similar plan. But it's worth noting that in both states, it is already legal for family members to rent out these flats—an arrangement that's becoming more popular across the country.

One example of this is Racheal Robinson, a grandmother from Victoria, who decided to sell her long-time family home and use the proceeds to help her son, Scott, his wife, and her granddaughter Renee, in purchasing a property on the Mornington Peninsula.

As she approaches her 80th birthday, she plans to move into a granny flat that will be constructed at the rear of this new property.

In an interview with a news source, Scott explained their situation. He said they had been renting a home for the past decade, and the only feasible way to re-enter the property market was by combining their resources.

'The easiest way to do that was to buy a house where we could have a granny flat and share the costs of living,' he continued.

'That's what we've had to do just to get on to the ladder, to get the Australian dream.'

This new living arrangement will also allow Scott to provide better care and support for his ageing mother in the coming years.

A recent development in Victoria's housing regulations makes this plan more feasible. Under the revised Victorian Housing Statement, a small secondary residence under 60 square metres on a property no smaller than 300 square metres won't need a town planning permit.

These secondary dwellings can also be rented out. However, the construction of such units still requires a building permit, and some planning controls, such as overlays, may necessitate a more detailed approval process.

View attachment 32460​

Just recently, an expert pointed out a concerning issue in Australia: retirees who live in homes with more bedrooms than they require are 'contributing' to the nation's housing crisis.

Michael Blythe, an economist, suggested that seniors should consider downsizing their homes to create more housing space for those who truly need it.

While he acknowledged that finding a solution isn't straightforward, he argued the need to make tough decisions sooner rather than later.

'We've got an excess of bedrooms, just not in the right place,' he said, adding: 'Maybe instead of first home buyers, we should be thinking about last home buyers.'

Key Takeaways

• An increasing number of older Australians are moving into granny flats and handing over their homes to younger family members due to the nation's housing crisis.
• This trend has seen older Australians making sacrifices, moving out of their homes to allow their children or grandchildren to live in them.
• Changes to legislation due by the end of the year will make it legal to rent out granny flats in Victoria to tackle the issue of inadequate housing availability.
• Economist Michael Blythe said seniors should consider downsizing their homes, which could help ease Australia's housing crisis.

Members, what are your thoughts on these developments? Do you agree that moving into granny flats and letting your children have the family home is the way to go? And what are your thoughts on downsizing? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

When the time comes just "pop yourself off",, easy peazey.....

 

[Gsr]

We have a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home which we share with our 18 year old grandson, when he is not at his girlfriends. We have no plans to downsize until we can no longer manage to live in and look after our home. We also have no plans to rent out any of our 2 spare bedrooms. We have spent years making our home and gardens how we like them, now we want to have time to enjoy them. Maybe a lot of the politicians should move out of their big mansions into small units, PM should move out of the lodge and government house in Sydney, after all they are both far too big for 1/2 people. Imagine how many needy people could be accommodated in just those two houses.

 

[Maicar]

Typical of Government Departments. We live in a beautiful large Modern 4 Bedroom 2 Bathroom house. We have done all the work ourselves to make it work for us. 2 kids, now left home, married and have own homes. Visit regularly. If we sold our home as part of this 'Idea' we wouldn't be able to afford a smaller one closer to where kids are. So, what a stupid suggestion.

 

[gordon1940]

This is a very personal decision. Every case is different, and People will always (hopefully) choose the correct option that suits them best.

 

[Gsr]

Also just imagine how many houses could have been built with the 4.something million that was wasted on the referendum, that was doomed from the start. A smart politician would have called it quits at the beginning instead of using it as a failed tool to say “look at me, aren’t I great, doing something for first Australians”. Dumb and dumber.

 

[marni]

Please - Please have independent financial and legal advice before "splitting" your home with a relative. So many elderly parents have ended up with less than positive experiences. Elderly abuse (financial or otherwise) is still an ongoing problem - and many kids only look after themselves. One friend I know her son decided to sell the house and move north. She had no alternative but to move as well away from location and friends. All is not rosy when you "help" children .

 

[mylittletibbies]

Please - Please have independent financial and legal advice before "splitting" your home with a relative. So many elderly parents have ended up with less than positive experiences. Elderly abuse (financial or otherwise) is still an ongoing problem - and many kids only look after themselves. One friend I know her son decided to sell the house and move north. She had no alternative but to move as well away from location and friends. All is not rosy when you "help" children .

This is so true, also know an elderly neighbour who sold her home, gave most of the money to her son and family and used the balance to build a granny flat in the yard Two years later the house was sold, the family moved on, without mum, leaving her homeless, not wanting her with them anymore.
Ending up in court, she only received th cost of the granny flat so did not have enough funds to get another home and caused a permanent ridt in the family.

 

[IAN3005]

Please - Please have independent financial and legal advice before "splitting" your home with a relative. So many elderly parents have ended up with less than positive experiences. Elderly abuse (financial or otherwise) is still an ongoing problem - and many kids only look after themselves. One friend I know her son decided to sell the house and move north. She had no alternative but to move as well away from location and friends. All is not rosy when you "help" children .

Proves the saying "You're born alone, live alone and die alone"