Susan Tutaki, 62. Photo / George Novak
Susan Tutaki's dreams of owning her own home are long gone.
While she always wanted to be a homeowner, soaring house prices and her inability to save while on a sickness benefit have left the 62-year-old with little hope of that happening.
And she's not alone.
According to independent research into housing affordability stress in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty, commissioned by Accessible Properties, less than half of the people in the Western Bay of Plenty who turn 65 in the next five years will own their home.
It is not a recent trend. The number of over 65s still renting increased by 113 per cent in the Western Bay of Plenty between 1986 and 2013, and 110 per cent in Tauranga City.
The number of people in the area on the housing register has increased by 185 per cent since 2017, rents are up 40 per cent since 2014, and house prices up 86 per cent.
The report - which looked at housing affordability stress against a range of factors including tenure and income, age, family size, crowding, and ethnicity - found rentals were becoming increasingly unobtainable, particularly for seniors on limited incomes.
Dr Natalie Jackson analysed the changes in homeownership and renting and found homeownership in the subregion was falling faster and further than national levels.
Ownership went from higher-than-national levels to lower.
And for those stuck renting, the news wasn't good either.
Demand for affordable rentals also increased and the research highlighted a shortage of good quality, fit for purpose, warm, dry, affordable housing for the elderly.
The growing demand for accessible rentals outran the existing rental housing supply.
This was because seniors needed different features or modifications in their homes to make them safe and allow them to be independent and to be near health facilities.
Increasingly unaffordable rent forced older renters to move to cheaper accommodation, the report found.
Homelessness was more of a risk with insecure tenure and unaffordable rentals.
With homeownership hopes dashed, Tutaki also struggled to find a rental due to her age and lack of rental references.
Tutaki had lived in a bach on a marae for 16 years with no running water and the only power coming from a generator. The generator did not last long and she carted her water in.
She believed these living conditions contributed to her poor health and she ended up in hospital at least twice a year.
She was put into emergency housing last year, because her doctor did not want her to keep living in the bach. She spent time in two Tauranga motels before being placed in public housing.
Before being placed in a house by Accessible Properties about August last year, she applied for rental after rental to no avail.
Having never rented before, she had no references which she said fuelled the difficulty of finding a place.
"It was very hard ... everybody is in the need, there's a lot of people out there."
On top of that, she believed many of the rentals were poor quality.
"All I wanted to do was try to keep warmer ... but some of the places I went to, I thought even though I don't have running water and that, maybe I'm better off there."
She now has a warm and dry home in the CBD close to health providers.
"I'm in a house at the moment, it's not my own but I treat it like my own. I love it."
Accessible Properties chief executive Greg Orchard expected a rapid increase in the number of older people needing public housing as the population aged and the levels of housing stress increased.
As a result, he expected Accessible Properties' services would become more tailored to seniors.
He said wealth inequality is a growing issue and affordability was a key factor in seniors moving from ownership to renting.
Previously comparatively low housing prices had helped people into homeownership and allowed people to pay off their mortgage before retirement, he said.
This allowed older people to "maintain living standards on a relatively low level of retirement income".
However, this has become less common, he said.
"The research further reinforces the need for action on housing and supports Accessible Properties' vision to deliver new and improved housing in the Pukehinahina (Gate Pa) Tauranga Hospital area."
Long-term support and commitment of the local and central government, investing in the regeneration of the city's existing public housing to provide additional suitable housing, were needed, he said.
Tauranga Budget Advice manager Shirley McCombe said it was difficult to own a home now, and parents were supporting adult children and grandchildren both financially and with a place to live.
"This means that they are less able to prepare for their own retirement, and so the problem is amplified with each generation."
McCombe said they had seen a spike in people 65 and over accessing their services.
She said people of all ages were taking on properties they couldn't afford because houses were in such short supply, and the struggle to pay ever-increasing rents was across the board.
Food, doctor visits and social activities were being sacrificed to afford rents, and "even those that have some money set aside for retirement are struggling".
The Office for Seniors stated one in five New Zealanders aged 65-plus were still working, despite being eligible for superannuation, and that number is predicted to climb to one in three.
A Salvation Army spokeswoman said elderly who came to the service for support, usually needed a place to rent.
"They've never had to rent before and they don't have references, which is also a requirement when being considered for rental properties."
She said the elderly did not always have family nearby they could reach out to.
"Finding a property can be quite stressful for them."
Tauranga Moana Takitimu House men's shelter manager Annamarie Angus said they had not had any increase in referrals from older demographics but would need to consider the additional risks, including increased health issues and physical health issues if they did.
She said the risk of homelessness was morphing, with housing availability, prices, and accessibility proving risk-factors.
When the service opened six and a half years ago, it had a focus on long-term homeless predominantly due to unmet needs, trauma and addiction.
"More and more, over the last two years, we are receiving referrals for people who have less complex issues, however, are unable to access housing due to the lack of availability.
"Given the current climate, this lack of affordable housing or homeownership is on the increase."
Key issues faced by older renters
• Unaffordable rents and difficulty in paying rent prompted moving to cheaper accommodation.
• Insecure tenure.
• Lack of supply of suitable homes for an ageing population - cold, damp.
• Lack of housing for people who need accessible features or modifications to
maintain their independence.
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