Housing Policy Trends: Housing Insecurity in Later-Life Affects Homeowners Too

This short paper argues that housing insecurity among older Albertans is not limited to renters or people still carrying mortgages. Using a January 2026 survey of 715 Albertans aged 65 to 85, the authors show that outright homeowners also report meaningful financial strain. The most common issue was concern about having enough money for home upkeep, and a notable share of respondents had considered selling because of financial need. The paper challenges the common assumption that home ownership, on its own, guarantees housing security later in life.

The authors contrast these findings with the vulnerabilities faced by renters and mortgagors, who more often report shortfalls in making housing payments, but they emphasize that insecurity now cuts across tenure types. Their main point is that older homeowners can be asset-rich but cash-poor, with home equity that is difficult to use while they still need a place to live. The paper ends by pointing toward policy responses such as indexed income supports and reforms to reverse-mortgage or property-secured lending rules so that older adults are not forced into distress sales to stay afloat.