Rebalancing Australia’s Housing Mismatch

The housing system in numbers

Australia’s residential property market is valued at approximately $12.3 trillion AUD and is forecast to grow by a further $6.3 trillion AUD over the next 40 years.

However, several trends are reshaping demand:

• Lone person households are expected to reach 3.7 million over the next 40 years 
• Renters aged 65+ are projected to increase by 95% by 2031 
• 1.8 million new households will form over the next decade 
• Meeting social housing need by 2041 requires approximately $183 billion in investment and 640,000 new dwellings 

Without change, the fastest growing household types will face increasing undersupply.

a FRAMEWORK for people-focused housing

Through our work with Haven Home Safe, we assessed housing need across three measurable dimensions:

1. Housing security – stability over a 12-month horizon
2. Housing suitability – alignment of built form and amenity with cohort needs
3. Housing attainability – availability and affordability

Mapping cohorts across a housing security continuum enables providers, government and investors to identify where market gaps exist and where capital can deliver both impact and long-term performance.

implications for community housing providers and government

Public funding for housing is increasing. However, funding alone does not resolve structural misalignment.
The research highlights three priorities:

• Align supply with demographic and cohort data
• Diversify delivery models to address emerging segments
• Partner across sectors to scale sustainable housing outcomes

Housing that reflects lived demand will generate stronger long-term financial and social returns.

how we support the sector

Cushman & Wakefield’s Strategic Consultancy team works with community housing providers, government and institutional capital to:

• Quantify unmet housing demand
• Model long-term demographic scenarios
• Identify viable market segments
• Develop evidence-based housing strategies

This research reinforces our philosophy that housing investment should be built around people’s needs.

next steps