55+ Renters: A Tale of Growing Demand

(RECAP: Much of the conversation regarding affordable rental housing tends to focus on younger households – in particular, Millennials. However recent findings from our first Freddie Mac 55+ Survey suggest that shifting housing choices by the Baby Boomers and those older may significantly exacerbate the already acute shortage of affordable housing in the years to come. Through our recent survey of nearly 6,000 55+ homeowners and renters conducted by GfK on behalf of Freddie Mac, we learned that an estimated 6 million homeowners and nearly as many renters prefer to move again and rent at some point. Of those homeowners and renters that expect to move again, over 5 million indicate they are likely to rent by 2020. We believe these numbers may be understated as both homeowners and renters tend to overestimate their ability to age in place. )