A research paper conducted by the University of Otago that was published today has shown a strong link between damp, mouldy housing and hospital admissions for young children with respiratory infections.

"This research confirms the extra burden placed on too many families trying to keep their children safe. Poor housing standards that harm children are totally unacceptable”, said Green Party housing spokesperson Marama Davidson.

“We need to see more urgent progress on enforcing the Government’s healthy homes standards. Housing New Zealand is the country’s largest landlord and needs to lead the way on good housing.

“All rental properties in this country, whether private or state owned, need to free from damp and mould. We know children will continue to be sent to hospital because of preventable illnesses caused by the condition of their home. Our health system ends up working overtime for something that could be prevented through properly enforced standards.

“We need to see an enforceable “Warrant of Fitness” scheme for homes, so we can ensure that rentals are safe are and not harming people. The burden should not be on the tenants to raise safety issues with their landlord.

“It’s unacceptable that we still have rental properties that are making children sick. We are failing as a country if we allow poor living conditions to continue.

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