July 12, 2015
No profit from misery says dry home doc
A Kaitaia GP who promotes home insulation is welcoming a government requirement for rental houses to be insulated.
Housing Minister Nick Smith says he’s changing the Residential Tenancies Act so that social housing providers must have floor and ceiling insulation in place by July next year, and private landlords in four years time.
Lance O’Sullivan says cold and damp houses contribute to a lot of the problems he sees in his practice, which is why he set up the Kainga Ora scheme.
He says there have been subsidies available for landlords, but many haven’t taken up the offer because they don’t want to spend a few hundred dollars on their properties.
"We do know that homes that are uninsulated are unsafe, particularly for young children, so I'd be happy if landlords were compelled to do this. I think it is going to be a great outcome. I know there are going to be complaints from the landlords' association about added cost but people are making profts and it shouldn't be off people’s misery," Dr O’Sullivan says.
He says people who rent out cars must make sure their cars are safe, and the same should apply to houses.
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