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Harsh,ColdRealityofRentalHousinginTaranaki
Presenta8onto8thICEERBHousingSustainabilityInUrbanAreas2018MareeYoung–Researcher/Analyst
PublicHealthUnit
TaranakiDistrictHealthBoard
Backgroundtothestudy
• Taranakiisonthewestcoastofthenorth
island
Itrains,itpours!
RentalHousinginTaranaki
RentalHousinginTaranaki
RentalHousinginTaranaki
RentalHousinginTaranakiCurrentRental:$280
perweek
RentalHousinginTaranakiCurrentRental:$280per
week
RentalHousinginTaranaki
• Thefindingsofthisreportarebasedon
informaJoncollectedfromanumberof
sources:
– aliteraturereview
– Interviewswithpropertymanagers,emergency
housingprovidersandpropertyinvestors
– interviewswith10families/whānau
– Publiclyavailablehousingdata
Qualityofrentalhousing
– Damp,coldandhardtoheat.
Whenyouwalkintothehouseitssmackbangcoldinyourface.
Itgetscoldatnight,reallycold.My[youngchild]getscroupsoit’snotsogoodfor[child].
– NeedingrepairssuchasreplacingheaJngorfixingleakingroofs.
Therewasaleakinthemainbedroom.Wemovedoutofthatroomandputthe[children]togetherinanotherroomandsleptinanotherroom,andthenthatonestartedleaking.‘CosIwokeuponedaywiththewholeofmysideofthebedallwet,becauseithadleakedinthenight,andIhadn’twokenuptoit.Gotreallysick–Iwasreallysickinthathousewithpneumonia.
– Lackinganenergyefficientwaytoheatthehouse.
– Evidenceoffuelpoverty
Over-crowding
– Overall,Taranakihaslowlevelsofstructuralover-
crowdingintherentalmarket.
– Therewasagreaterlevelof‘funcJonal’over-
crowding–thewaypeopleusethehouse.
ImpactonHealth
– Livinginpoorqualityhousingwashavinga
negaJveimpactofthehealthofparJcipants.
– SomeparJcipantsexpressedconcernthat
repeatedinfecJonsandillnesseshadcaused‘life-
long’damagetothehealthoftheirchildren
Somanyofthesethingsarepreventable,theyarebasically
povertyillnesses.Soeverybodyinthecommunityneedstoplay
theirpartandpropertyownersneedtoplaytheirpart.
PublicHealthInterven8onstoimprovehousingcondi8ons
– InsulaJonmandatorybyJuly2019hashada
posiJveimpact.
• 6/10parJcipantshadbothceilingandunderfloor
insulaJon.
– PropertymanagersshowedaveryproacJve
approach
Rates-basedschemes
– Currentrates-basedschemesavailableto
landlordsandhomeownerstoinstallinsulaJon
andenergyefficientheaJngwereseenas
una`racJvetolandlordsastheychargeda7%
interestrate.
Moving house in summertime (house
seems great)
Winter discover
house is cold
and damp
Kids get sick
Stuck in house cant afford to
move
Look for another house but nothing available in price
range
Ask landlord for repairs
Wait for repairs
Tenancy Tribunal
Stress and frustration
Rent house warm & dry
but expensive
rent
Don’t have finance for
other basic needs
Concern basic needs not met
Stress and debt buildup
Trying to keep up with the demands of kids, schooling, health side of things, it all kind of affects the way we live really, there is no money to kind of, you know, be able to do a few things.
High demand for rental properties
Strong competition
for securing rental
Rigorous application process
and background
checks
Severely limited options
Need house urgently risk of
homelessness
House available in poor condition
Increase risk of illness
HNZ
Shortage of HNZ houses
Increase Waiting list
Limited choice of location
Move away from friends/family/
support
House hard to heat, draughty, no fixed
heating
The roof in the bathroom was just chocka – I tried to scrub it out and the landlord came in and just painted over it.
‘Cos I woke up one day with the whole of my side of the bed all wet, because it had
leaked in the night, and I hadn’t woken up to it. Got
really sick – I was really sick in that house with
pneumonia.
I say the whole house – I say it just needs to go really. That’s my honest truth. I never have been in a house so bad, with mould and dampness.
Always at GP & ED
Time off school, work
Concern of reoccurring
and long term
health impacts
Move into better house
Get break, better job
Find better house, good
landlords
Health of family improves
‘It’s a house,
not a home’
House has double glazed, brick. It ticked all the boxes, first big
break we had.
Using electric heaters, electricity high cost
Try not to use heater, worry about power bill
When you walk into the house
its smack bang cold in your
face.
Use heate
r
Outstanding payments due
to excess
power consumption
Credit rating affected
Difficult securing future rental property
Better with the dehumidifier with the heating and it did retain the heat more, but you couldn’t really heat the house as the power bill used to be massive. Over $300 a month.
Had over a $1000 power bill at one point and I ended up having to change power companies and put myself in debt just to get some where – get out of the house. Had to go to a new provider – wouldn’t transfer our power over until that bill had been paid.
Increase risk of illness
Move into smaller
house to
afford rent
Family members
sleep in lounge
Increase risk of illness
Stress and worry
I just got it as it was the cheapest and I needed a house
ASAP.
Baby in the cot next to me and hubby in the lounge, 2 girls in one room and 1 boy who is nine in his own room.
Finding a rental home
in Taranaki
House hard to heat,
draughty, no fixed heating
When you walk into the house
its smack bang cold in your
face.
Finding a rental home in Taranaki
House hard to heat,
drafty, no fixed heating
Using electric heaters, electricity high cost
When you walk into the house
its smack bang cold in your
face.
Finding a rental home in Taranaki
House hard to heat,
drafty, no fixed heating
Using electric heaters, electricity high cost
Try not to use heater, worry about power bill
When you walk into the house
its smack bang cold in your
face.
Finding a rental home in Taranaki
House hard to heat,
draughty, no fixed heating
Using electric heaters, electricity high cost
Try not to use heater, worry about power bill
When you walk into the house
its smack bang cold in your
face.
Increase risk of illness
Finding a rental home in Taranaki
House hard to heat,
drafty, no fixed heating
Using electric heaters, electricity high cost
When you walk into the house
its smack bang cold in your
face.
Use
heater
Finding a rental home in Taranaki
House hard to heat,
draughty, no fixed heating
Using electric heaters, electricity high cost
When you walk into the house
its smack bang cold in your
face.
Use
heater
Outstanding
payments due to
excess power
consumption
Better with the dehumidifier with the heating and it did retain the heat more, but you couldn’t really heat the house as the power bill used to be massive. Over $300 a month. Finding a rental home in Taranaki
House hard to heat,
draughty, no fixed heating
Using electric heaters, electricity high cost
When you walk into the house
its smack bang cold in your
face.
Use
heater
Outstanding
payments due to
excess power
consumption
Credit rating affected
Better with the dehumidifier with the heating and it did retain the heat more, but you couldn’t really heat the house as the power bill used to be massive. Over $300 a month. Finding a rental home in Taranaki
House hard to heat,
draughty, no fixed heating
Using electric heaters, electricity high cost
When you walk into the house
its smack bang cold in your
face.
Use
heater
Outstanding
payments due to
excess power
consumption
Credit rating affected
Difficult securing future
rental property
Better with the dehumidifier with the heating and it did retain the heat more, but you couldn’t really heat the house as the power bill used to be massive. Over $300 a month.
Had over a $1000 power bill at one point and I ended up
having to change power
companies and put myself in
debt just to get some where – get out of the house. Had to
go to a new provider –
wouldn’t transfer our power
over until that bill had been
paid.
Finding a rental home in Taranaki
Conclusion
• Rentalhousing(under$350perweek)isof
poorquality
• PoorqualityhousingishaveanegaJveimpact
ontenantshealth
• Shouldbeproviding‘homes,nothouses’.
Contactdetails
MareeYoung
Researcher/Analyst
PublicHealthUnit
TaranakiDistrictBoard