As rental advocacy groups call for minimum standards in housing, researchers are finding links between cold homes and the occupants' physical and mental health.
Mickie has wedged a rod above the doorway and draped a heavy curtain to try to halt the cold air wafting in, but it's not having much of an impact.
It's just one of the small modifications the family has made as they shiver through a second winter in a house they otherwise love."I feel like the cold really impacts my mental health, probably more than my physical health," Amity says.Despite this, the family hasn't asked for any changes to the property to fix the problem because they don't want to put their landlord offside and risk eviction.
The project organisers gave the renters temperature monitoring devices to test how often their homes were below 18 degrees Celsius. This is theResults so far are concerning. For example, one night Amity put on three heaters at once, in one part of the house, to see how much she could warm it up.Other tenants taking part in the temperature monitoring project are also struggling to heat their homes to the recommended level, according to Joel Dignam, the founder and executive director of Better Renting.
"Even in some relatively warmer parts of Australia, the average temperatures are still really low. So in New South Wales and Victoria, the average temperature in the rental properties we're tracking is still below 18C," Mr Dignam says.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Andrew Johns: Why NSW will beat Queensland in the Origin deciderQueensland talisman Cameron Munster has been ruled out. It should be enough for the Blues to snap their deciding-game losing streak at the Suncorp cauldron.
Read more »
‘Lawful and reasonable’: Why bosses can force you back to the officeEmployment lawyers are warning workers that their bosses can compel them to show up at the office even in the face of surging coronavirus cases. | MsEmmaK and hijessicayun
Read more »
Why HIMARS may shift the battlefield balance in UkraineOpinion: Australia should consider speeding up its procurement of the HIMARS rocket artillery systems now in use in Ukraine, writes military strategist Mick Ryan
Read more »
Why the Victorian government won’t go harder on COVID restrictionsA year ago, the premier admonished beachgoers breaching lockdown. Now, it’s a different story from a government that made a virtue of following health advice. | ANALYSIS annikasmethurst springst
Read more »
‘Lawful and reasonable’: Why bosses can force you back to the officeAs the number of employees taking sick days rises across the country, companies are being told to go it alone to decide their own work from home policies.
Read more »
‘Lawful and reasonable’: Why bosses can force you back to the officeAs the number of employees taking sick days rises across the country, companies are being told to go it alone to decide their own work from home policies.
Read more »