Baby boomers are the hidden face of Australia’s rental crisis — and now landlords face being squeezed, with a former Reserve Bank board member warning of four rate hikes in the coming year. Australians aged over 67 now make up the biggest group receiving Commonwealth rent assistance, with age pension recipients making up almost a quarter of those needing help to pay a landlord. “With inflation at 3.8 per cent, the neutral policy rate today is likely to be even higher,” he said. The Federal Government spent $6.4 billion on Commonwealth rent assistance in 2024-25. But 43 per cent of low-income households getting Commonwealth rent assistance still experienced rental stress during the last financial year.