Cold and damp housing is the most serious issue in Auckland's existing dwellings. They cost more to heat, and have links to negative health outcomes. Rental housing stock is typically in poorer condition than owner-occupied houses.
The impact of cold and damp housing is greatest on those with weak or vulnerable respiratory systems, mostly children and older people. Respiratory infections are a leading cause of hospital admissions for children under two years of age.
This also applies to other forms of rental accommodation, such as boarding houses, that equally need to be healthy and warm.
Read more about healthy homes.
How this can be done
Auckland's rental households are a priority.
Improvements in the rental housing stock can be made by:
- addressing the inability or unwillingness of some owners to attend to repairs, maintenance and needed upgrades
- addressing the powerlessness of tenants to require owners to undertake ongoing maintenance
- introducing compulsory 'warrants of fitness' for all rental properties and using levers to enforce minimum standards
- clarifying the relative ambiguity of the provisions under the Residential Tenancies Act.
Related information
