Jul 20, 2026 – 4.23pmAustralian homes have become luxury goods forcing banks to skew lending to the rich, politicians were told on Monday, with more initiatives needed to boost supply to tackle the housing affordability crisis.There were not enough reasonably priced houses for “downsizers”, contributing to about 13 million empty bedrooms in the residential property market, Barrenjoey analyst Jon Mott told a Senate committee in Canberra.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles
13 million empty bedrooms: Downsizer drought weighs on housing supply
Politicians have been told that older couples are staying in large family homes long after their children have flown the nest, locking up valuable housing supply.
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