Housing suitability (HOSD)

This variable is a measure of housing utilisation based on a comparison of the number of bedrooms in a dwelling with a series of household demographics, such as:

• the number of usual residents
• their relationship to each other
• age
• sex.

The criteria are based on the Canadian National Occupancy Standard. It can be used to identify if a dwelling is either under or over utilised.

Occupied private dwellings

This variable is derived from responses to housing and household demographic questions from the Census form. The criteria used to derive the variable are based on the Canadian National Occupancy Standard for housing appropriateness and are sensitive to both household size and composition. The measure assesses the bedroom requirements of a household by specifying that: 

• there should be no more than two people per bedroom
• children less than five years of age of different sexes may reasonably share a bedroom
• children less than 18 years of age and of the same sex may reasonably share a bedroom
• single household members 18 years and over and parents or couples should have a separate bedroom
• a lone person household may reasonably occupy a bedsitter or studio.

The Housing suitability variable compares the number of bedrooms required with the actual number of bedrooms in the dwelling. It can be used to analyse the under or over utilisation of dwellings and the dwelling's suitability for the resident household.

The data has been available through customised data requests prior to the 2016 Census. In 2016, this variable was first reported.

No changes have been made for 2021.

There is no single standard measure for Housing suitability. However, the Canadian National Occupancy Standard is widely used in Australia and internationally.

This variable does not have a non-response rate as it is created during Census processing by using responses from more than one question on the Census form. 

• Relationship in household (RLHP)
• Sex (SEXP)
• Family
• Temporarily absent

• Closing the Gap and Other National Government Reporting
• People
• Housing: Census
• Estimating Homelessness in the 2021 Census