Government may consider policy that encourages elderly to downsize

New policies to encourage older people to downsize could be considered by the government.

A payment to those in social housing and eventually private property owners are among the measures that could be introduced.

Developers could also be required to allocate a certain percentage of new builds to accommodate the elderly and those with mobility issues.

"If there's a way to help people to move to a suitable home that is smaller, to free up more housing for people that are desperate need of it, that's a good thing," commented Karl Deeter from Irish Mortgage Brokers.