Social Housing reports on the results of an inquiry by the APPG on Housing and Care for Older People, chaired by Lord Best and Peter Aldous MP.

The group’s report, focused on housing for later living, urges the new government to pursue “real value for money” by investing to improve existing stock.

The group have also called for, and drafted, a “charter” for how providers should act when considering whether to dispose of outdated retirement accommodation. “In essence, we believe social housing organisations should do their utmost to avoid losing precious housing stock for older people,” he group argued. This should be prioritised “despite financial constraints”.

The report also touched on the use of the term “sheltered” housing, and the contested nature of this term. It highlighted the wide range of ages catered for in homes that fall under this banner, and the need for the service model to cater for a “diverse range of older people”.

In addition to 527,000 “sheltered” housing properties in the UK, 124,000 homes are categorised as “age-restricted” housing, but are not classed as sheltered by their providers. Housebuilding of sheltered properties has declined sharply over the past three decades to an average of 5,000-7,000 units per year.

Amidst these declining numbers, the authors of the report have appealed to the government and its agencies to “be mindful of the special value of housing for later living”. “Investment in improving and enhancing the nation’s legacy of existing sheltered housing represents real value for money,” they wrote.

As such, the report argued that regenerated sheltered housing should be tailored to meet the needs of a diverse range of older people, the report said, including those “living with dementia, people from ethnic minority communities and people that identify as LGBTQ+”.

The benefits of keeping these places available for residents that need them extend into the wider housing sector, the report said. They enable older people to “right size” into these homes, which may enable families to move into vacated properties, including general needs social rented properties.