Last winter, ACT renters suffered indoor temperatures below the World Health Organization recommended minimum of 18 degrees, according to research published today by tenant advocacy organisation Better Renting.

Temperatures below 18°C are linked to higher blood pressure and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, or mental illness.

Better Renting tracked temperature and humidity in 59 Australian rental homes over winter, including six participants in the ACT. The report found that 85 per cent of participants had a median temperature below 18°C, meaning they spent half of the time below that temperature. Weighted by population, this is equivalent to 72 per cent of renters across Australia; 46 per cent of renters recorded a median temperature below 16°C.

All the ACT participants recorded a median temperature below 18°C due to Canberra’s cold climate. Homes were below 18°C around 84 per cent of the time, or more than 20 hours a day. 

The ACT also had the coldest indoor temperature of anywhere in the country, at 4.5°C. The average median temperature was 15.3°C, and the average minimum temperature 6.9°C.

Better Renting also compared outdoor temperatures with indoor conditions. This showed that rental homes were only 4°C warmer inside than out, on average. The greatest difference was in the ACT, where homes were more than 7 degrees warmer.

Better Renting states that a tight rental market and high energy costs left renters unable to achieve healthy temperatures in their homes this winter.

“Record-low vacancy rates combined with higher power costs meant that renters had few alternatives and couldn’t move into better homes. Many people cut back on heating altogether to reduce the cost of living, struggling under the burden of high rents. A lack of leverage meant renters struggled to get repairs done, worried about the risk of eviction or a rent increase.”

Michi Moses lives in a Red Hill share house with four other people, including her husband. This winter, her home reached a low of just 4.5°C. Her home has a poorly connected heating system, mould, damp, poor insulation, and large open rooms that contribute to heating inefficiency. Ms Moses has autoimmune conditions that are exacerbated by the cold. She worries the cold is affecting her health, and spends more time in bed just to stay warm. 

“I live with chronic illness and there’s no recovery, but the cold does make it worse,” Ms Moses said. “Four or five weeks ago, I got out of hospital, and the week I got out, we had that 4.5-degree day. I remember getting home the day that I was discharged; my dad and sister called to check in on me, and my heater wasn’t working, and I was almost having a panic attack because I was so cold, and I couldn’t get warm.

“It almost feels like you’re trying to plug a leaky boat. What is the point even trying to heat this leaky house when all the heat escapes right back out again? The thought of getting out of bed is so painful.

“I feel partly responsible because I was the person who sought out this rental, and now I keep thinking I should have looked for the energy efficiency rating. We just had a new housemate move in from Sydney, and I feel so bad that she’s having to adjust to the cold in this house. I’ve gotten used to being cold most of the time in winter. Before the temperature tracking, I didn’t even realise just how cold it was so I kind of gaslit or lied to myself and told myself to just wear more layers.”

Renters told Better Renting they had not even fully unpacked from their last move; their boxes were left full in a hidden corner of a room.

“I’ve never had a home and neither has my son,” ACT resident Felicity said. “Home is somewhere that should be stable, affordable and where you feel safe, somewhere familiar and homely your children grow up in and can come back to over the years; renting is just being in someone else’s investment property but it’s never stable or permanent.”

Legal reform is an important part of the picture for improving housing conditions for renters, Better Renting states. The ACT and Victoria have led the way by implementing minimum rental standards. In the ACT, ceiling insulation is being rolled out as a minimum requirement for rental properties. In Victoria, the law now mandates a fixed heater in the main living area with at least a 2-star energy rating.

“The ACT Government has made a good start with introducing a minimum ceiling insulation standard, effective from 1 April this year,” Better Renting’s executive director, Joel Dignam, said.

“It’s too soon to see the effects of that in our data, but I expect that over time we will see renters having better indoor temperatures. But there is more work to do. A key missing piece is actually having an efficient way to get heat into rental homes. We think a requirement for energy efficient reverse-cycle air conditioning is important here, and will also give renters access to potentially life-saving cooling in summer. Overall, the ACT is doing well, it was the first jurisdiction to do a ceiling insulation standard, but there is more work to do …

“This winter, renters didn’t have enough power to warm their homes — in more ways than one. In draughty, uninsulated homes, you struggle to reach a decent temperature, even if you are running a heater. But the gaps and cracks in rental homes ultimately reflect the gaps and cracks in our rental laws — renters don’t have the power to exercise their rights, or to demand a decent standard of living,” Mr Dignam said.

“We need to see action on minimum energy efficiency standards for rentals. This needs to be complemented by action on unfair evictions and rent increases, so renters don’t have to worry about retaliation every time they speak up for themselves.

“At the same time, governments should be aiming for an abundance of rental housing. If rental vacancy rates were above 5 per cent, we’re confident we’d have a very different rental market, where people paying money to rent a home could be much more assured that it would be fit to live in.” 

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