MORE than 42 people die in the ACT due to cold housing every year, according to a new report from Better Renting.

The report, “Unsafe as Houses: Cold-housing deaths in the ACT”, compares average monthly deaths in cold months to average deaths in warmer months, and finds that around 140 more people die in the May to September period compared to other times of year.

The report estimates at least 42 of these deaths are due to cold indoor temperatures from low-quality housing.

While seasonal factors play a part in causing winter deaths, Better Renting executive director Joel Dignam says poor housing in Australia contributes to preventable deaths from indoor cold.

“It is appalling that people are dying in the ACT because their housing doesn’t give them shelter,” he says.

“Every year people are dying because people are living in ‘glorified tents’ that don’t protect them from the winter cold. These are lives that could be saved by if housing in the ACT were better insulated and easier to keep warm.”

The report identifies the most at-risk group as being low-income renters aged 65 years and over. For these people, Mr Dignam says a combination of inefficient housing, less ability to pay for heating, and higher physical vulnerability, makes them especially at risk.

One Canberra renter Elaine, 83, of Macquarie, is not surprised by the report after developing pneumonia twice while renting a very cold apartment in her mid-70s.

“My doctor asked me about the heating arrangements in our apartment and suggested that my condition could be attributed to our cold living conditions,” he says.

“My husband and I had struggled to pay our previous electricity bill, which was over $600 for one quarter and had consequently cut down on our use of heating.

“We no longer scrimp on heating our house because I value my health more. But it’s clear that not much has changed to improve conditions for renters since we began renting in the 1960s.”

Following the release of the report, Better Renting is now calling upon the ACT government to introduce minimum health and safety standards for rental properties as a matter of urgency.

“Unlike homeowners, people renting in cold homes cannot make the improvements that would keep them healthy,” Mr Dignam says.

“This is a tragic situation. The government has a responsibility to require property investors to make sure their properties are fit to live in during winter.”

“Recently, the UK and NZ have introduced energy efficiency standards for rental properties. Queensland and Victoria have also legislated on this issue. While the ACT Government sits on its hands, people are dying.”

A professor who specialises in public health at the Queensland University of Technology, Adrian Barnett is echoing these concerns, saying every winter, most Australian cities experience a spike in deaths and hospitals have their busiest times.

“This is not simply because of the flu, but is also caused by cardiovascular problems such as strokes and myocardial infarctions, which are caused by temperatures being too low inside our homes,” Prof Barnett says.

“Too many Australians live in houses that cannot cope with even mild cold weather, meaning the indoor temperature is dangerously low. This happens every winter and there have been few state or national policies to tackle this issue.

“These deaths and hospitalisations are completely avoidable, because countries like Sweden and Canada with far harsher winters, have far fewer winter deaths than Australia.”