Home ownership in Adelaide, 1881-1911

This article reports new findings which are relevant to the debate about levels of home ownership in Australian cities before 1911. The method employs municipal ratebook data and a record linkage with birth certificates for a sample of streets in three Adelaide corporate towns. This evidence shows that while most houses were built for owner-occupation, the level of tenancy in established districts increased between 1881 and 1911, as low-income groups sought cheap housing. Sharing with kin was more common in older areas, and women's share in home ownership increased as suburbs aged. -Authors