Renters feel housing conditions can't be improved
Fourth-year medical students from the University of Otago conducted interviews with 80 renters and 80 homeowners.
Student Faye Sherlaw said while renters and owners had the same level of knowledge of how housing conditions could affect their families’ health, renters perceived themselves as having less ability to improve those conditions.
“Research has shown that housing conditions such as cold, damp, mould, injury hazards and overcrowding are associated with poor health. It’s important that people have knowledge about these conditions but, equally critically, they need to have the power to act on it. Our study suggests often they don’t, especially if they’re renting,” she said.
Interviews with renters revealed that the main barriers to improving their situation were money and landlords preventing them making improvements to their homes, she said.
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