Tasmania's social housing waiting list has never been longer, with the latest data from the housing dashboard showing 4701 families were seeking accommodation as of last November.
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The data also revealed that the average wait time of a priority housing applicant had increased to 94.7 weeks - the highest level since November 2022.
Labor housing spokesperson Ella Haddad said social housing was going from "bad to worse" under the Liberal government.
She said the wait list had doubled since the Liberals came to power in 2014, while the average wait time had quadrupled.
"There are thousands of people waiting on that list while the government drags its feet on providing new government and social housing for people in desperate need," she said.
"We've just come through another Christmas period where we know there have been hundreds and thousands of families waiting, couch surfing, or staying with friends, unable to have their own safe space to celebrate the festive season.
"People are really doing it tough."
She said if elected, Labor's build-to-rent scheme would provide at least 1000 new private rental properties in the Tasmanian market in its first five years.
"Lack of availability in the private sector is also having a massive flow-on effect in the social and government housing sector," Ms Haddad said.
Deputy Premier Michael Ferguson said the government was on schedule to meet its target of building 10,000 new affordable and social housing homes by 2032.
He said that not every applicant on the housing register needs a house - most are already housed in secure accommodation - while the government authority Homes Tasmania focussed on those with the most immediate needs.
"Homes Tasmania look after people on a priority basis, and those people who are in the most insecure most urgent need will be looked after as a priority," he said.
He said the government had already adopted plans for a build-to-rent scheme aimed at boosting housing supply available to vulnerable Tasmanians.
He refuted claims that the government was late in announcing its own scheme after Labor launched it as a core of its housing platform last year.
He criticised some aspects of the Labor plan.
"The Labor Party - they seem to think only the government should be doing build-to-rent, whereas we see it as an open field for private investors, to see more private investors into social housing would be a very good outcome."
