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.