The housing shortage is now one of our top domestic political issues, at the forefront of the government’s and opposition’s positioning during the 2017 general election and party conferences. However, policy development has thus far been focused on first time buyers and affordable housing – to the detriment of an appreciation of the wider problem. A shortage of even greater magnitude1 is now being experienced among older people, a large proportion of whom cannot find suitable homes to downsize into. There is a dearth of specialist retirement housing, so hundreds of thousands of older people are stuck in unsuitable homes, which has a negative impact on their health. This is also stagnating the housing market by thwarting growing families (and, in turn, first and second time buyers) from moving up the housing ladder.