Call for under-occupying older owners to downsize...

Research suggests there are substantial numbers of older Londoners using too-large properties but unable to downsize because of a lack of stock.

The research, by Professor Les Mayhew of the International Longevity Centre and Bayes Business School, shows that over-75s in the capital have more than twice the number of bedrooms they need, while the 65 to 74 population has 70 per cent more. Alongside that, separate research from the Greater London Authority suggests that 26 per cent of homes in London are under-occupied.

The crisis has been linked to the lack of good-quality downsizing options for older people in the capital.

The Centre for London think tank has found that 19 out of 32 boroughs in the capital has no clear policy on the number and type of homes for older people needed in their area over a set time frame, nor site allocations set out.

Analysis by ARCO - the representative body for Integrated Retirement Communities which combine independent living with care and support - has found that only 0.7 per cent of older Londoners have the opportunity to live in a retirement community.

ARCO contrasts this with countries like New Zealand, Australia and the US where at least five per cent of older people live in an Integrated Retirement Community.

A survey of UK older people conducted by ARCO in collaboration with Later Life Ambition found that 70 per cent would be interested in moving to somewhere with care and support as an alternative to a care home, but 53 per cent said their local area did not have good enough downsizing options.

ARCO is now calling on the GLA to take immediate action to expand housing for older people in London, including Integrated Retirement Communities.

The association says the next London Plan – currently under review – should include definitions and specific targets for each type of older people’s housing, that each London borough should set out a clear plan for meeting their targets, and that older people should be given better guidance on their housing options.

Professor Mayhew says: “It is clear that while younger people in London face vast housing shortages, older people are stuck in houses which have many more bedrooms than they need, creating significant generational divides.

“With many older people wishing to downsize but lacking the good options to do so, a large part of the solution lies in expanding specialist housing for older people across the capital.

“If we even give just a small percentage of older people the opportunity to downsize, we can release up to a million bedrooms across the country by the end of the decade – a great prize.”

And Michael Voges, ARCO’s executive director, adds: “These new findings demonstrate the urgent need to expand good-quality downsizing options for older people in the capital, including Integrated Retirement Communities combining independent living with care and support.

“Achieving this would not only be great for older people, who benefit from improved health and wellbeing and flexible care, but for younger people across London who could take advantage of freed-up bedrooms.

“Housing for young and old is not a zero sum game – we have a great opportunity to benefit all generations through an expansion of older people’s housing.”