A new study has found that surging energy costs have become the latest problem for Australian tenants living in accommodation with “brutal” conditions over the winter.
The Cold and Costly report by the tenant advocacy organisation Better Renting measured temperature and humidity in over 70 rental homes across Australia through June and July and found that the temperatures in those homes fell below WHO’s safe threshold of 18°C (64°F) most of the time.
The report’s findings prompted the organisation to call on the Australian government to protect tenants by introducing minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties.
“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,” said Joel Dignam, head of advocacy group Better Renters….