The Queensland government Stage 2 Rentals Reforms are up for consultation and renters need the Queensland government to do better to be able to live through future summers.
This Queensland summer was oppressive. The BOM said it, three household summer surveys said it (ACOSS, Sweltering Cities, Better Renting), and I certainly said it a lot. It had an impact on all of us, and the surveys’ data shows that households most vulnerable to cost of living pressures have felt it the most.
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All three summer surveys agreed, oppressive conditions in our homes made us unwell. Not being able to keep our homes cool affected us by robbing us of sleep and sapping us of our energy, triggering headaches, and worsening pre-existing conditions leading to loss of productivity and mental health impacts.
Before we jump to simple fixes and slap airconditioning units everywhere. We need to talk about cost of living pressures. According to Sweltering Cities report, Queenslanders “had the highest amount of concern for cost of living related to airconditioning expenses nationally”.
Because of these cost of living pressures, the Sweltering Cities survey found two in three Queenslanders who have airconditioning do not use it for fear of not being able to pay their bills.
This is born out of the data from the Australian Energy Regulator that demonstrates a 48 per cent increase in the number of households accessing energy hardship programs, in South East Queensland. To make matters worse, Queenslanders are unlikely to see relief on the energy bills. Indeed, as we recently found out, the draft Default Market Offer (DMO), which is meant to act as a cap for electricity tariffs, is actually going up by potentially 2.7 per cent.
It was hot and humid outside and in our homes. It affects us all, but we can all agree that it would be worse for people in poor quality housing lacking access to airconditioning.
The ACOSS report showed that households that struggled the most to keep their homes cool were private and public renters with well over 50 per cent being unable to stay cool.
Queensland rentals experienced six hours daily above 30°C, high average humidity (64.4 per cent), night time temperatures exceeding 25°C for 86 per cent of the time. And a lot us know this feeling, when you step outside once the sun has set, and it is like the first breath of fresh air in… forever.
Indeed, according to Better Renting, Queensland rentals recorded inside temperatures exceeding outside temperatures more than 60 per cent of the time. To put it simply, renters’ homes are ovens and are not safe for habitation.
Temperature and humidity conditions will only get worse in the years to come. Recent research shows that Australian heatwaves are getting hotter, last longer and cover larger areas.
It is highly unfortunate that Queensland’s housing stock is so dangerous for its residents, however, it’s unsurprising considering current policies. This is a housing, health, energy and climate emergency.
It is within the Queensland government’s power and duty to make sure that renters are living in homes that will not endanger their health and allow them to contribute to society to their full capacity.
Limiting extreme conditions (temperature and humidity) within rental homes would go a long way to achieving that. To that effect, introducing minimum energy performance standards for rental homes, such as making mandatory outside shading of windows, insulation and drought-proofing, combined with mandatory energy efficient cooling, such as fans and reverse cycle air-conditioning, would give renters a chance to have liveable and healthy homes now and for the chaotic future that is to come.
This is expensive but at the moment, landlords and rental agents are increasingly wealthy at the expense of renter’s health and money. Landlords and rental agents can keep on contributing to inflation, whilst renters count every penny and have to make choices between paying rent and energy bills and going to the doctor.
The Queensland government Stage 2 Rentals Reforms do not contain any proposals that would contribute towards healthier homes in our oppressive summers. Renters and our allies can make a submission, and we need to ensure that this does not drop out of the agenda.