27 April 2016

Students support recent study calling for Rental Warrant of Fitness

Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) supports recent research that recommends strengthening the Residential Tenancies Act to include a rental Warrant of Fitness (WoF).

New research recently published in the online journal People, Place and Policy by Dr Kimberley O’Sullivan, Dr Barnard, Helen Viggers and Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman at He Kainga Oranga/Housing and Health Research

Programme explored the evidence that children and young people are at risk of cold housing and fuel poverty.

‘We support this recent study as evidence of the effects of poor, inadequate rental housing,’ says Jonathan Gee, VUWSA President.

‘We’ve known about the mouldy, lived conditions that many students are accustomed to living in unhealthy rentals where the demand for flats are high.

‘We’re glad to have further research back this up as we have campaigned for the introduction of a rental housing Warrant of Fitness as we know anecdotally that this will improve the health and wellbeing of students.

‘We will continue to campaign for the introduction of a rental-housing Warrant of Fitness to improve housing conditions for students.’

Read the new research published here

ENDS

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