Eight ACT renters tracked and recorded the temperature and humidity of their homes over winter, and the data paints a frosty picture of renting in Canberra during the coldest months.
Better Renting released their Cold and Costly report from their Winter Renter Researchers project this week and the findings display a stark comparison between ACT rental properties and the rest of Australia.
To sustain health, the established minimum indoor temperature is 18oC. The Better Renting study reported temperatures in Australian rental homes were below the recommended temperature 75 per cent of the time or more than 18 hours per day.
Sitting at 7.4oC, Canberra had the lowest average minimum temperature of any jurisdiction.
The Canberra research results show ACT homes were on average the coldest in the country, although Tasmanians spend more time in cold temperatures.
The ACT reported having the second highest amount of time below 18 oC at over 21 hours a day (88.3 per cent). Days below 18oC were reported at 49 in the ACT, beaten by NSW (55) and Tasmania (61.5).
One of the ACT participants of the study, Ada Fitzgerald-Cherry, lives in a rental in Downer with two housemates and has reported serious issues trying to effectively heat her home without creating an exorbitant power bill.
“While I have approval to work from home – and would prefer to from a health perspective – I have been working from the office fulltime simply because it’s too unpleasant at home. My housemate works from home fulltime and wears thermals and plunges his hands into a basin of hot water several times a day,” Ms Fitzgerald-Cherry says.
“The inside temperature of our house has averaged at 13.7 degrees this winter. Our energy costs have sat at just over $12.70 per day. Admittedly, not all our usage is heating related, but for comparison, our summer costs (despite using the air conditioner and fans) average out to $3.80 a day – that’s $8.90 to keep the house just barely warm enough to function.”
Better Renting executive director, Joel Dignam, says the health risks from living in substandard rental properties need to be addressed.
“Everyone in Australia should have a home that is warm and dry in winter, that keeps them and their family safe. But renters are missing out,” Mr Dignam says.
“Draughty, uninsulated rental homes force temperatures down and power bills up. Renters told us about getting sick more often, about a constant state of worry over energy costs, and an unending battle against mould and damp.
“The good news is we can do better. Governments are currently working on a framework for minimum rental requirements, and this could be a pivotal first step in helping to make these rental homes fit to live in during winter.”
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