Housing availability and affordability, and the stress it can lead to for many Australians, is of grave concern.

Almost daily, we will hear the story of someone desperately searching to secure a rental.

Rising costs are hitting the majority of the population in some way – some harder than others – but is it causing a percentage of the population to age faster?

One recent joint study by the University of Adelaide and the University of Essex, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, determined that private renters are likely to age more quickly than homeowners.

On the surface, one can’t help but wonder whether, in this case, the head start in the ageing process is due to whether you own the home you live in or not, or if it is merely one aspect of a number of factors – including rising living costs, faster pace of life, environmental impacts, political news and the state of the world – impacting on the health of the population.

The study looked at the impact of housing on the biological age of participants, which is the damage to the body’s tissue and cells, which occurs regardless of chronological age and which happens at the same speed for everyone. Taking a sample of 1,420 adults in the UK, the study reported that some aspects of private rental housing did indeed speed up the biological age of some renters.

The study’s findings demonstrated that housing circumstances have a significant impact on biological ageing even more so than other important social determinants.

Researchers found that insecurity and poor affordability of privately rented homes was driving the link between renting and biological ageing.

The findings also found some aspects, such as repeated payment arrears and pollution, were linked with faster biological ageing regardless of whether a person rents or owns their home.

Affordability and security are well documented when it comes to the rental market in Australia, with the industry actively implementing policy to encourage fair legislation for both property owners and tenants, as well as governments introducing steps to increase accessibility for suitable accommodation.

The majority of landlords are well aware of the social, economic and environmental impacts of having secure, safe and suitable properties available to the public, and take that responsibility on board.

A study into the effect that being a landlord has on biological ageing might prove interesting, but perhaps that’s for another day.