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A secure home is a top priority for most elderly people.

But security of tenure for seniors' housing is a problem in WA that is growing as the population ages. Researchers from the Law School have launched an investigation into the issue, with the hope of their findings leading to policy development and law reform in several areas.

Associate Professors Eileen Webb and Aviva Freilich will first ascertain whether WA 's ageing population is being disadvantaged by laws governing housing and accommodation. Both academics work in the Law School's Consumer Research Unit.

The pair and their research partner Council of the Ageing WA have $225,000 from Lotterywest for the work.

They will talk to seniors, carers, agencies and other stakeholders to identify housing and other accommodation-related issues.

"We want to ask them about their experiences of current housing legislation and investigate any shortcomings or difficulties they may be facing," Professor Webb said.

"Older people are more likely to suffer stress and anxiety about housing and accommodation because they place a high value on their home environment.

"They are less likely to be in full-time employment and more likely to spend more time at home and in their neighbourhood than at any other period in their lives."

The researchers will examine accommodation designated for seniors, such as residential aged care facilities and retirement villages, strata title developments, public housing tenancies, boarding and lodging houses, and residential parks.

They will also consider the law as it impacts on seniors in rural and regional areas; seniors with disabilities; indigenous, culturally and linguistically diverse seniors; and those with low incomes and low assets.

"To date there has not been any one study which seeks to collate such a significant amount of information about seniors' housing and accommodation law in WA and its specific - and at times unique - areas of concern," Professor Webb said.

She cited granny flats as one area of concern. "They can be a very useful form of housing for seniors, but if it doesn't work out for some reason, the elderly person can be left with nothing. Often, an older person will sell his or her home to fund the building of the granny flat, which comes under the original land title.

"If either the family or the senior is unhappy with the arrangement, the granny flat can't be sold separately."

Professor Freilich said a separate title for granny flats could be one of many great outcomes from this research.

Park homes, popular with older people in the lower economic bracket, can also be a problem, as many of them have periodic tenancies, which means no security of tenure.

"Land values in pleasant convenient areas are forcing these parks further away from infrastructure such as public transport and hospitals, both necessary for most seniors," Professor Webb said.

"We would like to look at getting governments or local councils to take responsibility for purchasing or providing large areas of land for such housing, so people can feel secure in their old age."

Professors Webb and Freilich are collaborating with a research team at the University of Alberta, Canada, which is studying seniors in rural areas.

"WA and Alberta are both big states which have become prosperous through their resources," Professor Webb said. "I think we'll also find similar problems for the older citizens in each state."

Published in UWA News , 25 June 2012