According to Propertymark, disabled and elderly tenants face increasing challenges in finding suitable accommodation.
The professional body for estate agents and letting agents has warned that the availability of bungalows and retirement homes are not keeping pace with the rapid growth of older households in the UK, putting additional pressure on older tenants, disabled tenants and those looking to downsize later in life.
Nearly 867,000 households headed by someone aged 55 or over now live in England’s private rented sector, according to Propertymark, with demand for suitable homes expected to rise sharply as the population ages over the next decade.
The number of households headed by someone aged 65 or older is expected to increase by 22.1% in 2032, with the number of households between 65 and 74 years old expected to grow from 3.3 million in 2022 to more than 4 million in 2032.
Meanwhile, the number of households headed by someone aged 85 or over is expected to rise by 42.3%, from 1.1 million to 1.5 million over the same period.
Despite this growing demand, industry-wide research from Propertymark shows that the supply of privately rented bungalows and retirement homes in the UK continues to decline year on year.
In 2024, 17,225 bungalows and senior homes were rented, a decrease of 0.8% to 17,083 in 2025. This follows an overall decrease of 4.2% since 2023, when this figure was 17,827.
Regional analysis also revealed wide variations across the country, with some major cities seeing notable declines in availability, while others saw modest growth.
One of the sharpest falls:
- Nottingham saw supply drop from 538 to 494 properties
- Sheffield fell from 202 to 166 available homes
- Manchester dropped from 173 to 167 mentions
In contrast, several coastal and urban areas recorded increases:
- Brighton increased from 513 to 566 available homes for rental
- Exeter rose from 417 to 446
- Newcastle climbed from 277 to 310
- Inner London also rose modestly from 265 to 289
Propertymark says the shortage of suitable homes threatens to limit the mobility and independence of older renters, especially those living on fixed or lower incomes, while also putting additional pressure on the wider housing supply.
Propertymark chief executive Nathan Emerson said: “The private rental sector is playing an increasingly important role in older people’s housing, but the supply of suitable and accessible homes is simply not keeping pace with demographic change.
“While the availability of bungalows and retirement homes has improved modestly in some areas, many major cities and communities continue to experience a decline in supply at a time when the number of older households is rising rapidly.
“For many renters, especially those with mobility needs or living on a fixed income, accessible housing such as bungalows is not a preference; they are essential.
“Without greater investment in appropriate housing and planning policies that properly reflect the needs of an aging population, many older renters risk facing reduced choice, pressures on affordability and fewer opportunities to move later in life.”