Sweltering Cities have launched a petition to the Victorian Government to incorporate minimum cooling standards in rental accommodation.

As temperatures rise we are experiencing more extreme heat days and heatwaves.

Add to this the crisis in housing with more and more people renting.

Many rental properties are simply not safe to live during extreme heat. Sweltering Cities conductyed a survey which revealed Nearly half of renters surveyed reported they left their home to find a cooler location during heatwaves, compared to just 14.5% of homeowners.

Heatwaves kill more Australians than all other environmental disasters combined. Renters are more likely to live in homes with no insulation or air conditioning. Heat related deaths have been greatly under-estimated according to researchers.

All rental homes in Victoria have to have heating, but they don’t need to be cool or safe during heatwaves.

The state Government needs to update standards for rental properties to include cooling and heatwave safety in the minimum standards.

Please sign the Sweltering Cities Petition to Put cooling in Victoria’s rental minimum standards

References:

• Feb 6, 2020, Climate Action Merribek, Moreland summer temperatures increasing with global heating https://climateactionmoreland.org/2020/02/06/moreland-summer-temperatures-increasing-with-global-heating/
• May 26, 2020, Climate Action Merribek, Heat-related deaths under-estimated as temperatures and extreme heat events increase https://climateactionmoreland.org/2020/05/26/heat-related-deaths-under-estimated-as-temperatures-and-extreme-heat-events-increase/