MP wants to outlaw cold, damp rentals
Jul 23rd 2010, 10:34 am
#1
Lost in BE Cyberspace
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MP wants to outlaw cold, damp rentals
Green MP Gareth Hughes says too many New Zealanders live in cold, damp rental homes and has a member's bill to legislate against such homes and is touring the country to promote The 'Warm Healthy Rental Bill' - aimed to ensure rental homes met basic standards for warmth and insulation by 2018.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/poli...d-damp-rentals
The article gives rise to the typical barrage of abuse and 'harden up' responses to anyone who dares to complain of the cold. This one made me laugh - maybe it is your landlord.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/poli...d-damp-rentals
The article gives rise to the typical barrage of abuse and 'harden up' responses to anyone who dares to complain of the cold. This one made me laugh - maybe it is your landlord.
When did this idea that homes need to be warm come about? It's ridiculous. There are obviously some people who's circumstances make a warm home a requirement for health reasons, but your average healthy person can cope just fine living in a cold house with the aid of clothes.
I lived for three years in a christchurch flat which we did not heat at all. We had a logburner, but we never saw the need to use it since clothes, blankets, or a bit of good old exercise kept us warm for much less cost. It's really not that bad, and our health certainly didn't seem to suffer one bit -- if anything, we seemed to get less colds etc. than our peers.
Again, I'm not saying there aren't cases where warm homes are needed, but most people could just do with hardening up.
I lived for three years in a christchurch flat which we did not heat at all. We had a logburner, but we never saw the need to use it since clothes, blankets, or a bit of good old exercise kept us warm for much less cost. It's really not that bad, and our health certainly didn't seem to suffer one bit -- if anything, we seemed to get less colds etc. than our peers.
Again, I'm not saying there aren't cases where warm homes are needed, but most people could just do with hardening up.
Jul 24th 2010, 8:45 am
#2
Queen of the Underworld
Joined: Dec 2007
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Re: MP wants to outlaw cold, damp rentals
Hope it gets through parliament! Doesn't affect me as we own our house but I feel minimum standards of insulation and heating should be in place for rental properties. Especially insulation.
Loving that comment, harden up all of you who think heating is an essential. Let's face it all we really need are clothes and a treadmill... None of this sitting around feeling cold, do some exercise
Loving that comment, harden up all of you who think heating is an essential. Let's face it all we really need are clothes and a treadmill... None of this sitting around feeling cold, do some exercise
Jul 24th 2010, 10:36 am
#3
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 588
Re: MP wants to outlaw cold, damp rentals
I wish him good luck with that in Otago Uni's student 'ghetto' in Dunedin. I think there are a few students who would rebel, don't they see the whole damp, cold, gross flat experience as one of the reasons for studying there??
Jul 24th 2010, 1:11 pm
#4
Lost in BE Cyberspace
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Re: MP wants to outlaw cold, damp rentals
Jul 25th 2010, 4:09 am
#5
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Re: MP wants to outlaw cold, damp rentals
As I've said before there's a great deal of denial about many things here and one of the biggest is the fact that it is freezing in many of the houses. Rentals are especially bad and landlords don't see the need to provide any form of heating. I can't understand why the houses were not built property from the start. Years ago they were building in double brick in Western Australia and they have a Mediterranean climate!
Jul 25th 2010, 7:12 am
#6
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Re: MP wants to outlaw cold, damp rentals
Builders will have a field day as such a bill would take out half the current housing stock
Aug 1st 2010, 12:28 am
#7
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Location: Australia, Scotland, NZ, China, Spain, Scotland again wha hae!
Posts: 493
Re: MP wants to outlaw cold, damp rentals
writing from a cold, damp ChCh rental right now...fortunately it is only a temp thing until we get something else sorted out and at least we now know EXACTLY what to look for in our longer term rental!! (and now i understand why all the rental ads carry on about places having a HEATPUMP!!)
