Considering Supply and Demand Data to Avoid Prolonged Vacancies

As the demand for accessible housing continues to rise, it’s important for housing providers to remain informed about the latest market trends. Fortunately, the Housing Hub website has been built to collect valuable data on the supply and demand of accessible housing across Australia.

Last week, Housing Hub released the fourth edition of the Listings Snapshot report, providing an up-to-date overview of supply data. The report includes de-identified information about housing providers, property listings, and comparisons to the demand data gathered from its companion report, Housing Seeker Snapshot, released in November 2022.

In the latest edition of the Listings Snapshot, we can see there are currently 1,664 housing providers with an account on the Housing Hub and over 2,800 properties being advertised on the Housing Hub.

Design categories of SDA properties

In terms of Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) properties, the Housing Listing Snapshot offers valuable insights into the supply and demand of design categories and building types. High Physical Support properties made up 47.0% of the SDA listings, followed by Fully Accessible (16.3%), Improved Liveability (14.0%), Basic (11.8%), and Robust (10.9%).

The proportion of High Physical Support properties from the listing data exceeded the demand for this category shown by Housing Hub seeker profiles and searches, as well as NDIA seeker data. Conversely, the proportion of Fully Accessible properties did not meet the demand shown by seekers on the Housing Hub and NDIA seeker data. Insights generated from these comparisons are critical to avoid prolonged vacancies and ensure housing seekers have suitable housing options.

Short and medium-term Accommodation

People with disability often require short-term accommodation (STA) or medium-term accommodation (MTA) as a temporary housing solution while they wait to move into more appropriate long-term housing. Findings reveal that the demand for STA (11.0%) and MTA (15.2%) is higher than the supply of these property types at 5.1% and 5.2%, respectively. The reported undersupply is concerning since STA and MTA are critical in preventing people with disability from being forced to live in aged care or hospital settings in the interim.

By considering the findings in the Listings Snapshot in conjunction with the Housing Seeker Snapshot, housing providers can gain a comprehensive overview of the accessible housing market. This can help inform building decisions and enable the needs and preferences of people with disability to shape future development. 

The full report including a summary of Housing Hub’s services for housing providers can be found on our website.