AARP Eye Center
Background
Seventy-seven percent of older adults desire to remain in their homes and communities as they grow older. However, a number of barriers stand in their way. High housing costs and inadequate home maintenance make it difficult to maintain their homes. In addition, the homes may not provide the right environment for older adults if they have mobility limitations and health issues. These problems are particularly critical for older adults from racial and ethnic groups that are discriminated against, rural residents, and women who live alone.
Housing quality in rural areas is a particular concern. The housing stock is older and more likely to be dilapidated. The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s American Housing Survey estimates that an estimated 5.6 percent of residences, around 1.4 million units, are inadequate. About 368,000 are severely inadequate, with critical shortcomings in plumbing, heating, electrical systems, maintenance, or a combination of these.
Home-repair and home-modification programs can eliminate or reduce the barriers to remaining in the home as people get older. These programs can also help improve energy savings and structural durability. In addition, they can help older adults avoid or delay costly institutional care. However, some older homeowners are victims of abusive practices. These include shoddy and incomplete work, fraudulent billing, kickbacks, and overpricing. Consumers are not adequately informed about existing protections or the danger of abuse. The Department of Housing and Urban Development prohibits home-repair contractors from arranging for loans for homeowners under the Federal Housing Administration home improvement loan program because of the prevalence of these abusive practices.
Multifamily housing safety: Lack of maintenance in apartment complexes and condominium buildings can be extremely dangerous. They can lead to fires and other hazards that are especially harmful to older adults and people with mobility challenges, who may not be able to escape quickly. In 2021, the partial collapse of a large apartment building in Surfside, Florida, killed over 100 residents, more than half of whom were age 50 and older.
Regular inspections are important to improving multifamily building safety, along with the regulatory authority to require necessary repairs to be made. Reserve studies help determine how much money owners need to set aside to afford repairs over the long term. In the short term, if a building cannot afford necessary repairs outright, it may need to explore financing options. However, there are few affordable options for financing multifamily building repairs.
HOUSING QUALITY AND SAFETY: Policy
HOUSING QUALITY AND SAFETY: Policy
Funding for repairs and modifications
Policymakers should ensure that homeowners are able to make necessary home repairs and modifications, as well as energy efficiency improvements.
Ways to streamline the approval process for repairs and upgrades, such as through expedited permitting and review, should be considered.
Funding for homeowners with low and moderate incomes, including grants and low-cost loans, should be available for these efforts. This includes deferred-payment loan programs.
Utilities should be required to provide grants, low-income loans, and rebates to people with low and moderate incomes to make energy efficiency improvements to their homes (see also Energy Assistance).
Policymakers should protect consumers from fraudulent or abusive home-modification practices.
States and local governments should consider using block grant program funding to provide homeowners with funds for repairs and modifications. These include the Home Investment Partnerships Program, Community Development Block Grants, and Medicaid waiver programs.
Rental housing safety
State and local governments should promote the safety of residents living in dilapidated or otherwise unsafe housing, including those living in multifamily units.
They should require:
- regular inspections and
- the completion of any necessary repairs to ensure health and safety.
Policymakers should ensure sufficient funding for regular code inspections.
Multifamily building owners should conduct periodic reserve studies to ensure they have adequate finances for necessary repairs.
Federal housing agencies should create low-cost government-insured loans to enable owners to finance costly repairs.
State and local governments should ensure adequate safety systems and a properly coordinated response in the event of an emergency. Possible safety systems could include sprinklers, fire alarms, and carbon monoxide monitors. Residents should be advised of emergency exit locations and other safety plans in place to prevent fatalities and serious injuries during emergencies.