Queensland retirees face housing squeeze as retirement village demand surges

Almost 27,000 waitlist registrations for retirement villages were lodged in 2025 Queensland retirees are being caught in a growing housing squeeze, with industry figures showing retirement village demand is surging while supply struggles to keep up. New data from the PwC-RLC Retirement Census revealed that almost 27,000 waitlist registrations were lodged nationally for retirement village homes in 2025, exposing a widening gap between older Australians ready to move and the homes actually available. The figures also revealed that 38 per cent of retirement villages now have a waitlist, with demand strongest for two-bedroom homes and more affordable options. NSW has the biggest waitlist at 7826 in 2025, followed by the ACT (6340), South Australia (4775), Westerna Australia (4464), Queensland (2432), Victoria (863) and Tasmanaia (125). But the supply pipeline shows that not enough homes will be built to accommodate those already waiting to make the move in some states. Nationally, just 17,668 are forecast to be built between now and 2031, the report revealed. The Sydney Metro region accounts for the biggest portion of that forecast – 4199 units – but will fall well short given its wait...