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Private rental brokerage programs (PRBPs) work with vulnerable households to access and sustain private rental tenancies through targeted early intervention assistance (e.g. advice, information, introductions and timely support) designed to build tenancy capacity and through building links with the local private rental industry so that they can compete successfully for rental properties in a competitive market and sustain their tenancies over the longer term. The programs help lower income tenants, including older tenants, who are less able to be successful in accessing housing in the market.

Life course changes associated with older age such as widowhood, disability and frailty suggest a need for a range of rental housing options. These include a private rental sector (PRS) that can support older tenants living in the general community, as well as options such as communal self-contained living spaces that provide some level of companionship, practical support and assistance with daily living, through to facilities that combine health care, personal care and accommodation.

The ���������one day conference ‘Renting in Australia: Challenges and Reforms’ explored a range of factors shaping Australia’s private rental market, including data mapping Australian renters’ changing concerns throughout the pandemic, the short term dynamism of the private rental market, and a laying to rest of fears that rental regulation deters landlords from investing in private rental; and the future of renting in Australia with the rise of a new type of landlord in the form of Build to Rent.

Contrary to some predictions, tenancy law reforms in NSW and Victoria have had very little impact on landlords’ decisions to invest in, or stop investing in, private rental housing, new ���������research reveals.