Housing advocacy organisations across Australia are intensifying their calls for guaranteed minimum standards for rental properties, particularly focusing on protection from extreme temperatures during severe heatwaves. The campaign highlights how many renters are living in what campaigners describe as 'glorified tents' - homes that become unbearably hot in summer and freezing in winter, forcing occupants to spend excessive amounts on energy just to maintain basic comfort.
Living Through Record-Breaking Heat
Melissa Fisher, a resident of Elizabeth Vale in Adelaide's northern suburbs, provides a stark example of the challenges facing renters during extreme weather events. During South Australia's hottest January 26th on record, which saw overnight minimum temperatures remain at 31 degrees Celsius, Fisher found herself confined to her bedroom - the only space in her public housing unit that offered any relief from the oppressive heat.
"I literally have to stay in my bedroom during summer," Fisher explains. "My house has concrete walls inside and brick walls outside with a tin roof. Once it heats up, it stays hot for days." Her only cooling comes from a small window air conditioning unit purchased eight years ago from Cash Converters for about thirty dollars, which she says barely functions and can only cool a single room.
National Heatwave Crisis
The situation facing Fisher is becoming increasingly common as severe heatwaves continue to affect multiple Australian states. Victorians are preparing for potentially record-breaking temperatures that could reach as high as 49 degrees Celsius in areas like Ouyen and Mildura. Meanwhile, New South Wales has an extreme heatwave warning in place, with some regions expected to experience temperatures in the high 40s.
This persistent extreme weather has prompted renewed urgency from housing advocates who argue that minimum standards for rental properties are no longer a luxury but a necessity for public health and safety.
Campaign for Legislative Change
A coalition of organisations including Healthy Homes for Renters, the Australian Council of Social Service, and Better Renting is pushing for federal government funding to support states and territories in enforcing minimum energy performance standards in rental homes. Their campaign builds on years of advocacy calling for basic improvements like proper insulation in all rental properties.
Pas Forgione, coordinator of the Anti-Poverty Network SA, emphasises the disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities. "Across South Australia, renters, especially those on the lowest incomes and those with chronic health conditions, are suffering from unhealthy, poor-quality homes that are scorching in summer and freezing in winter," he states.
Research Supporting the Need for Standards
A 2024 report by Better Renting found that rental homes are often hotter than outdoor temperatures and can exceed the World Health Organization's safe limits for indoor heat. This research adds scientific weight to the anecdotal evidence from renters like Fisher, who has a skin condition that reacts badly to excessive heat and has had to alter her lifestyle dramatically, surviving on cereal and sandwiches because she cannot bear to cook in her overheated kitchen.
Political Responses and Proposals
In South Australia, the Greens MLC Rob Simms introduced the Residential Tenancies (Minimum Standards) Amendment Bill 2024, which would have established basic liveability standards ensuring rental homes are not too hot in summer or too cold in winter. Although the bill did not pass, with both government and opposition voting against it, Simms plans to reintroduce it after the March election.
"A lot of the things we were proposing were no-brainers, and things landlords would already do, you'd hope," Simms comments. "In the market we have at the moment, with such a shortage of available rental properties, it is a landlord's market and some aren't meeting basic standards."
Government Initiatives and Counterarguments
A spokesperson for the South Australian government highlighted their investments in public housing, stating they have delivered "the first net increase to public housing stock this century" while investing $35.8 million to deliver energy-related improvements to over 3,000 public homes. The spokesperson added that many new builds meet a 7-star energy rating, providing better insulation, ventilation and energy efficiency for tenants.
However, advocates argue these measures don't go far enough and fail to address the immediate crisis facing existing rental properties during extreme weather events.
Broader Implications for Renters
Fisher's experience illustrates the difficult choices renters must make to manage energy costs in substandard housing. To offset the expense of running her inadequate air conditioner during summer, she doesn't use any heating during winter months. She believes all houses should have minimum standards for heating and cooling, along with solar panels to reduce energy costs.
"I know some people who don't have air conditioning at all," Fisher reveals. "I've said 'come over and sit in my bedroom' to offer them some relief."
As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of heatwaves across Australia, the campaign for minimum rental standards represents both a public health imperative and a social justice issue affecting some of the nation's most vulnerable residents.
