Healthy Homes for Renters
$40,000 | December 2022
What do the Healthy Homes for Renters do?
Healthy Homes for Renters is a collaborative campaign for minimum energy efficiency standards for rental homes in every state and territory in Australia, accelerating renewables uptake and reducing the burden of energy transition away from low income people and families. Their project goal is for every state and territory government to commit to minimum energy efficiency standards for rental homes. Over the next 14 months, their focus is the NSW Government. By the end of 2023 we want the NSW Government and one other state jurisdiction to have committed to this and have begun implementations.
Why is this work important?
Australian homes have terrible energy performance. This leads to preventable climate pollution, higher power costs, worse health, and greater exposure to climate impacts. People who rent have a particularly bad time of it, because we tend to live in substandard dwellings that have even worse energy performance. Renters are also more likely to be on low-incomes, which means energy costs take up a greater proportion of their budget, and they are more exposed to rising power prices. We can address this by introducing standards that landlords must meet before they can rent out their property, like having ceiling insulation, or an efficient AC.
Healthy Homes for Renters have an opportunity to win this because jurisdictions are currently working on a national framework for minimum rental requirements. This reduces the barriers to action and gives them something concrete that jurisdictions could pick and adopt. But whether they commit to implementation is another question. This is where HHFR come in — pushing jurisdictions to make these commitments.
How is Groundswell supporting this work?
HHFR project goal is for every state and territory government to commit to minimum energy efficiency standards for rental homes. Over the next 14 months, their focus is the NSW Government. By the end of 2023 they want the NSW Government to have committed to this and begun implementation. They are already aiming to get one other new jurisdiction to commit and begin implementation.
Their activities over the next 14 months, as supported by Groundswell, include:
Run 'Renter Researchers' again this coming Summer and next Winter.
Work with partners to do something before the NSW election, possibly some sort of community forum or town hall.
Respond to the 'National Framework for Minimum Rental Requirements' with an open letter to state and territory governments, once the Framework finally comes out.
Run a strategy retreat around April 2023, after the NSW election, to bring together key organisations and set a course for the rest of 2023.
To learn more about Healthy Homes for Renters impact, read our interview with the team.