Australian Housing Conditions Dataset

Researchers and policy-makers know very little about housing conditions. This data infrastructure, which includes all three projects currently in the housing conditions dataset series (AHCD 2016, ARHCD 2020, AHCD 2022 and AHCD 2024), provides the knowledge base and comparison sample for national and international research, and allow better urban, economic and social policy development.

This project is being conducted by researchers from the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia, the University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology, Curtin University and Torrens University led by Professor Emma Baker. The research is funded by the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme in partnership with the universities. The Australian Housing Conditions Dataset is hosted by the Australian Data Archive.

2024 AHCD release

The Australian housing system is rapidly evolving. Renting is now the fastest growing tenure in Australia, with more than one third of Australians now renting their homes. Although it was once expected that renting was a transitionary tenure that preceded home ownership, Australians are now more likely than ever to be long-term renters or rent for the whole of their adult lives. Housing quality and conditions are also highly variable, with issues such as cold, mould, and damp contributing to poor health outcomes for many Australians.

The 2024 Australian Housing Conditions Survey collected data from 20,049 households, including 12,968 homeowners, 6,344 private renters, and 738 social renters. This is the biggest national survey collecting information on housing conditions across all Australian states and territories.

The 2024 dataset is now available to users through the Australian Data Archive.

Access the 2024 dataset

Read the 2024 technical report

Access the previous datasets

The Australian Housing Conditions Dataset is free and accessible to the public through the Australian Data Archive. These releases are currently available to access and download:

Australian Housing Conditions Dataset 2022

Australian Housing Conditions Dataset 2020

Australian Housing Conditions Dataset 2016

Technical reports and metadata

ACHR plays a pivotal role in tackling Australia’s biggest urban challenges by developing innovative research that blends quan

Technical Report 2024

Our Housing Australia report

Rental Insights report

The technical report provides details for users including the data frequencies, survey development and data collection, and information about the addition of ARIA+ and IRSAD scores matched to postcodes.

To celebrate the public release of the 2022 dataset, we invited 20 leading housing commentators and researchers to explore the data and contribute short reflections on the state of Australian housing, homes and households.

Created in partnership with AHURI, this collection draws on data from the 2020 rental dataset and offers insights from twenty of Australia’s leader academics and thinkers into the survey results of 15,000 Australian rental households.

2022 Data Descriptor

This peer-reviewed data descriptor was produced to accompany the release of the 2022 dataset, providing information about the dataset's sampling, methods, data collection, technical validation and data records.

2020 Data Descriptor

This peer-reviewed data descriptor was produced to accompany the release of the 2020 dataset, providing information about the dataset's sampling, methods, data collection, technical validation and data records.

2016 Technical Report

The technical report provides information for users about the 2016 dataset, including details about the survey development and data collection, frequently asked questions, and data frequencies.

Research team

Professor Emma Baker

University of Adelaide

Emma Baker is Professor of Housing and has a PhD in Geography and BA (Hons.) from the University of Adelaide. She has previously held NHMRC and ARC Fellowships focused on examining the relationship between health and housing. She has expertise in collecting, managing and analysis of large housing datasets.

Associate Professor Lyrian Daniel

University of South Australia

Lyrian Daniel is a research-intensive Associate Professor in Architecture in UniSA Creative. Lyrian Daniel will use this Data Infrastructure, enhanced with linked environmental data, to explore the complex interactions between housing and household characteristics that affect indoor environmental quality, and contribute evidence for the development of a national standard for indoor thermal environments.

Professor Andrew Beer

University of South Australia

Andrew Beer is the Executive Dean of UniSA Business. He has led major research projects focused on tenure effects and housing assistance. His research interests include the operation and functioning of Australia’s housing markets (including the provision of housing for persons with a disability), the drivers of regional growth, structural change within the economy, and the impacts of an ageing population.

Professor Rebecca Bentley

University of Melbourne

Rebecca Bentley has a strong interest in quantitative research methods and multi-disciplinary collaborations are a key focus in each of these themes. Bentley will bring a health perspective to the development of the proposed Data Infrastructure to enable its use within the field of population health research to answer important questions about how conditions in the rental market shape population health in contemporary Australia.

Professor Wendy Stone

Swinburne University of Technology

Wendy Stone’s research is highly industry engaged with substantial applied government and policy research experience. Stone will use the Data Infrastructure to extend existing evidence around housing, home and household wellbeing among lower income households in rental sub-markets, focusing on vulnerable population groups including families and children, people living with disability, single persons, elderly and migrant households.

Professor Andi Nygaard

University of New South Wales (formerly Swinburne University of Technology)

Andi Nygaard’s research includes the processes of urban and housing systems change with a focus on long-term neighbourhood dynamics, housing market efficiency and affordability, international migrants in housing, neighbourhoods and labour markets, and institutional economics of governance adaptations in the provision of social housing.

Professor Kerry London

University of New South Wales (formerly Torrens University Australia)

Kerry London has a long history of research in construction project management research and has successfully obtained and acquitted projects (e.g. ARC Discovery and Linkage projects, CRC for construction innovation, Department of Industry, Australia China Science and Research Fund). In the last five years, London has led housing projects on innovation, off-site manufacturing, building information modelling, and collaborative practices.

Ms Claire Morey

University of Adelaide

Claire completed her Master of Philosophy in History at the University of Adelaide in 2021. Her area of expertise is domestic violence in nineteenth-century South Australia, with a particular focus on economic abuse and divorce. Claire's role in the project is as project officer, assisting in the management of the day-to-day activities of the project, including ethical approvals, survey commissioning and reporting to the CI team.

Have you cited the Australian Housing Conditions Dataset in a publication?

Please select one of the below citations then click the 'Notify team of publication' button. This is required by the dataset conditions of use, and will help us to keep the AHCD publications library up to date.

Australian Housing Conditions Dataset 2024

Baker, Emma; Daniel, Lyrian; Beer, Andrew; Bentley, Rebecca; Stone, Wendy; Rowley, Steven; Nygaard, Andi; London, Kerry, 2025, "The Australian Housing Conditions Dataset 2024”, https://doi.org/10.26193/HSMZGA, ADA Dataverse, V1.

Australian Housing Conditions Dataset 2022

Baker, Emma; Daniel, Lyrian; Beer, Andrew; Bentley, Rebecca; Stone, Wendy; Rowley, Steven; Nygaard, Andi; London, Kerry, 2023, "The Australian Housing Conditions Dataset 2022", https://doi.org/10.26193/SLCU9J, ADA Dataverse, V1

Australian Rental Housing Conditions Dataset 2020

Baker, Emma; Beer, Andrew; Baddeley, Michelle; London, Kerry; Bentley, Rebecca; Stone, Wendy; Rowley, Steven; Daniel, Lyrian; Nygaard, Andi; Hulse, Kath; Lockwood, Tony, 2020, "The Australian Rental Housing Conditions Dataset", https://doi.org/10.26193/IBL7PZ, ADA Dataverse, V3

Australian Housing Conditions Dataset 2016

Baker, Emma; Beer, Andrew; Zillante, George; London, Kerry; Bentley, Rebecca; Hulse, Kathleen; Pawson, Hal; Randolph, Bill; Stone, Wendy; Rajagopolan, Priya, 2019, "The Australian Housing Conditions Dataset", https://doi.org/10.26193/RDMRD3, ADA Dataverse, V1

Notify team of publication

User publications library

To see how researchers have used the 2016, 2020, and 2022 datasets, view the publications library below.

Journal articles & monographs

Aplin, T., Lowies, B., & McGreal, S. 2022. The home environment: influences on the health of young-old and old-old adults in Australia. Ageing and Society. doi:10.1017/S0144686X22000757.
Azimi, A., C.K.H., Tyvimaa, T., Skitmore, M. 2024. Adoption of energy-efficiency measures by Australian low-income households. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment. doi:10.1007/s10901-023-10104-3.
Baker, E., Daniel, L., Beer, A., Bentley, R., Rowley, S., Baddeley, M., London, K., Stone, W., Nygaard, C., Hulse, K. and Lockwood, A., 2022. An Australian rental housing conditions research infrastructure. Scientific data. doi:10.1038/s41597-022-01136-5.
Baker, E., Morey, C., Daniel, L. et al. 2023. An Australian housing conditions data infrastructure. Scientific Data. doi:10.1038/s41597-023-02739-2.
Barlow C.F., Daniel, L., Baker, E. 2023. Cold homes in Australia: Questioning our assumptions about prevalence, Energy Research & Social Science. doi:10.1016/j.erss.2023.103124
Bower, M. et al. 2023. The Social Determinants of Loneliness during COVID-19: Personal, Community, and Societal Predictors and Implications for Treatment. Behaviour Change. doi:10.1017/bec.2023.3
Bower, M., Buckle, C., Rugel, E., Donohoe-Bales, A., McGrath, L., Gournay, K., Barrett, E., Phibbs, P., & Teesson M. 2023. ‘Trapped’, ‘anxious’ and ‘traumatised’: COVID-19 intensified the impact of housing inequality on Australians’ mental health, International Journal of Housing Policy. doi:10.1080/19491247.2021.1940686.```
Coulburn, L. & Miller, W. 2022. Prevalence, Risk Factors and Impacts Related to Mould-Affected Housing: An Australian Integrative Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. doi:10.3390/ijerph19031854.
Coulburn, L., Miller, W. & Susilawati, C. 2024. Onset characteristics and breadth of occupants’ long-lasting building-related symptoms attributed to living in damp housing conditions in Australia: Qualitative insights. Building and Environment.
Daniel, L. Baker, E., Beer, A., Thien Anh Pham. N. 2019. Cold housing: evidence, risk and vulnerability’. Housing Studies. doi:10.1080/02673037.2019.1686130.
Daniel, L., Baker, E., & Williamson, T. 2019. Cold housing in mild-climate countries: A study of indoor environmental quality and comfort preferences in homes, Adelaide, Australia. Building and Environment. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.01.037.
Gower, A. 2022. Energy Justice in Apartment Buildings and the Spatial Scale of Energy Sustainable Design Regulations in Australia and the UK. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities. doi:10.3389/frsc.2021.644418
Grander, M. & Stephens, M. 2023. The Routledge Handbook of Housing and Welfare. 71-87. Routledge, Abingdon.
Hulse, K., Veeroja, P. & Goodall, Z. 2023. Housing and Welfare in Australia. In The Routledge Handbook of Housing and Welfare. Edited by Martin Grander and Mark Stephens. 71-87. Routledge, Abingdon.
James L., Daniel, L., Bentley, R. & Baker, E. 2023. Housing niches: new directions for housing and urban policy, International Journal of Housing Policy. doi:10.1080/19491247.2023.2254466.
Lang, M. et al. 2022. Pro-social concerns characterise landlords’ energy efficiency retrofit behaviour: evidence and implications for energy efficiency Policy in Victoria, Australia. International Journal of Housing Policy. doi: 10.1080/19491247.2022.2162197
Moore, R. 2023. The animal in the walls: On the rise of the fungal gothic. Griffith Review. 82, 118-128. doi:10.3316/informit.382914838573452
Mishra, S.R., Wilson, T., Andrabi, H., Ait, D., Ang Li, O., Akpan, E., Bentley, R. and Blakely, T. 2023. The total health gains and cost savings of eradicating cold housing in Australia. Social Science & Medicine. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115954.
Oswald, D., Moore, T., & Baker, E. 2022. Exploring the well-being of renters during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Housing Policy. doi:10.1080/19491247.2022.2037177.
Poruschi, L. and Gardner, J., 2022. Energy Disadvantage and Housing: Considerations Towards Establishing a Long Run Integrated Analysis Framework. Australian Economic Review. doi:10.1111/1467-8462.12494.
Singh, A. Mizdrak, Daniel, L., Blakely, T., Baker, E., Fleitas Alfonzo, L., & Bentley, R. 2022. Estimating Cardiovascular health gains from eradicating indoor cold in Australia. Environmental Health. doi:10.1186/s12940-022-00865-9.
Valente, C.P., Morris, A., & Wilkinson, S. J. 2022. Energy poverty, housing and health: the lived experience of older low-income Australians. Building Research & Information. doi:10.1080/09613218.2021.1968293.
Veeroja, P., Goodall, Z., Guity-Zapata, N.A. & Stone, W. 2023. Private renters in shared housing: investigating housing conditions and mental well-being in Australia during COVID-19. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment. doi:10.1007/s10901-023-10038-w
Veeroja, P. et al. Forthcoming. Growing housing precarity amongst older people in homeowner nations (Friendly and Pimentel Walker Eds.) The Handbook of Precarious Housing.
Viljoen, C., Lowies, B., Lushington, K., & McGreal, S. 2020. Female perspectives on housing quality and household characteristics, perceptions and challenges: Evidence from Australia’. Habitat International. doi:10.1016/j.habitatint.2020.102276.

Reports

Baker, E, Bentley, R, Beer, A & Daniel, L. 2020. Renting in the time of COVID-19: understanding the impacts. AHURI Final Report No. 340. doi:10.18408/ahuri3125401
Baker, E., Beer, A., Leishman, C., Vij, A., Stone, W., Morey, C., Veeroja, P., Indraratna, K., Dunn, J., & Pomeroy, S. 2024. Planning for a two-tenure future. AHURI Final Report No. 431. doi:10.18408/ahuri3130901
Baker, E. & Daniel, L. (Eds.) 2020. Rental Insights: A COVID-19 Collection, The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Limited, Melbourne. 10.18408/ahuri3125402.
Baker, E. & Morey, C. (Eds.) 2023. Our Housing Australia. The Australian Centre for Housing Research. University of Adelaide. doi:10.25909/24657108.
Brierty, R., Buckland, A., Crowe, A., Duncan, A., & Rowley, S. 2023. Housing Affordability in Western Australia 2023: Building for the future. Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre. https://bcec.edu.au/publications/housing-affordability-in-western-australia-2023-building-for-the-future/.
Cavanough, E. & Douglass, M. 2025. Rewarding renters: how the Commonwealth can make renting easier and fairer for all Australians. The McKell Institute. https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2025-01/apo-nid329500.pdf
Crowe, A. & Rowley, S. 2024. Measuring housing affordability: Scoping the real cost of housing. AHURI Final Report No. 427. doi:10.18408/ahuri8128801
Daniel, L., Lang, M., Barlow, C., Phibbs, P., Baker, E., & Hamilton, I. 2024. A national roadmap for improving the building quality of Australian housing stock. AHURI Final Report No. 426. doi:10.18408/ahuri3232301
Daniel, L, Moore, T, Baker, E, Beer, A, Willand, N, Horne, R and Hamilton, C. 2020. Warm, cool and energy-affordable housing policy solutions for low-income renters. AHURI Final Report No. 338. doi:10.18408/ahuri-3122801
Dignam, J. 2020. Home-Baked: Housing, Heat and Health. Better Renting. Funded by Energy Consumers Australia Limited and the ACT Government. Report: "Home- Baked: Housing, Heat, and Health" - Better Renting.
Dreesen. S. & Heylen, K. 2021. De impact van de COVID-19 crisis op de woonsituatie van Vlamingen, Een analyse van de Grote Coronastudie. Leuven: Steunpunt Wonen. https://archief.steunpuntwonen.be/Documenten_2016-2020/Studiedagen/Webinar_Wonen_na_corona_25_februari_2021/paper-dreesen-heylen-de-impact-van- de-covid-19.pdf.
Dyrenfurth, N. 2020. ‘Rental Nation: A Plan for Secure Housing in Australia. John Curtin Research Centre Policy Report no. 5. https://national.sda.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rental-Nation-A-Plan-for-Secure-Housing-in-Australia.pdf.
Hohmann, J. The Right to Housing in Australia. 2025. Human Rights Law Centre. https://www.hrlc.org.au/reports-news-commentary/the-right-to-housing-in-australia
Hunter, S. 2019. Media-engaged home renovation and the transition to zero carbon homes: Understanding change in everyday practices at home. (Doctoral Dissertation, RMIT University).
Kuiri, L. & Leardini, P. 2023. Adaptable and scalable housing for Australian households and stages of life. 55th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association. Perth, WA. https://archscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/12-Adaptable-and-scalable-housing-for-Australian-households-and-stages-of-life.pdf
Liu, E. et al. 2023. Poverty and Australian housing: findings from an Investigative Panel. AHURI Final Report No. 410. doi:10.18408/ahuri7130501
Liu, E., Martin, C., & Easthope, H. 2019. Poor-quality housing and low-income households. Shelter Brief No. 63. City Futures Research Centre. https://shelternsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Poor-quality-Housing-and-Low-Income-Households-Review-of-Evidence-and-Options-for-Reform-2019.pdf.
Martin, C. et al. 2023. Towards an Australian Housing and Homelessness Strategy: Understanding National Approaches in Contemporary Policy. AHURI Final Report No. 401. doi:10.18408/ahuri7127901
Moore, T. et al. 2023. Optimising housing assessment to drive low carbon energy efficient housing upgrades. RMIT University for Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. https://www.homescorecard.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0035/688661/Optimising-housing-assessment-to-drive-low-carbon-housing-upgrade-2023_final.pdf
Pexa and Longview. 2023. Private Renting in Australia – A Broken System, Pexa and Longview White paper. Whitepaper-2-Private-renting-in-Australia-a-broken-system_compressed-sm-1679450145.pdf (pexa.com.au)
Roche, D., Dwyer, S., Rispler, J., Chatterjee, A., Fane, S. & White, S. 2023. Domestic Hot Water and Flexibility. Report prepared for ARENA by UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures. Domestic Hot Water and Flexibility | University of Technology Sydney (uts.edu.au)
Thomson-Settle, J. W. 2024. Supply, Demand and Affordability: How Does New Suburb Supply Affect Property Prices? (Research Paper – Master of Arts, International Institute of Social Studies).
Valente, C.P. 2022. Energy poverty and older Australians: The extent, causes and impacts (Doctoral dissertation, University of Technology Sydney).
Veeroja, P., Stone, W. & Reynolds, M. 2025. Priced Out, Run Down: Older Australians in unaffordable and poor-condition housing. Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne. DOI: forthcoming.