No heating, no standards: Our freezing morning is cold comfort for the thousands of Victorian renters living in dodgy houses
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Melbourne’s coldest morning of the year serves as a chilly reminder of the shocking conditions many renters are forced to accept in dodgy houses, says VCOSS.
As the mercury drops to near-freezing temperatures it is appalling that one-in-ten Victorians live in substandard housing that is unheated and uninhabitable, as revealed by the Decent not Dodgy survey of 116 homes conducted by VCOSS.
Acting Chief Executive Officer of VCOSS Carolyn Atkins said, “During winter, Victoria’s lack of basic rental standards directly impacts the most vulnerable people in our community.”
“Seventy per cent of renters are on a low income and it is people with the fewest housing options that that end up living in unsafe, unhealthy and unaffordable conditions and too many of the houses we saw were simply not good enough.
“Ten per cent of properties surveyed lacked heating, 20 per cent had visible and extensive mould, 10 per cent had holes in the ceiling, walls or floor, and 33 per cent did not have an electrical safety switch.
“This winter tenants will also struggle with high electricity bills and freezing homes. The lack of adequate heating and insulation in homes could increase a household’s spending by up to $360 a year in electricity bills alone.
“The only way to solve this issue for renters is by the introduction of mandatory minimum standards.”
The full survey and recommendations is available on the VCOSS website www.vcoss.org.au.
For more information, or to arrange an interview
contact John Kelly – M: 0425 701 080Follow the conversation at www.twitter.com/vcoss
VCOSS
Level 8, 128 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
T: 03 9654 5050 F: 03 9654 5749 W: vcoss@vcoss.org.au E: vcoss@vcoss.org.au