There is a shortage of affordable housing in Australia and a rising tide of homelessness, with older women as one of the fastest growing groups of people experiencing homelessness. This article provides background to the shortage of affordable housing by outlining the scale of, and reasons for, the increase in numbers of older people, particularly women, experiencing housing stress or homelessness in Australia and notes that the circumstances and response of older women experiencing housing vulnerability often differed from those of older men in the same predicament. This article also examines possible contributions the law could make in alleviating some pitfalls encountered by older women experiencing housing stress or homelessness. Lastly, this article considers what the law could do before a person becomes homeless, in particular to maintain and protect existing tenancies and whether landlord and tenant law could – or should – play a role in supporting accommodation arrangements for people in vulnerable housing circumstances.