Disabled people in rentals most likely to be cold at home – Media release
14 March 2017
Thirty-eight percent of those disabled people in rented homes said they have difficulty heating, Stats NZ said today.
The rate for non-disabled people in rented housing was 27 percent. Difficulty staying warm was less common for disabled
people who live in an owner-occupied home at about 20 percent.
Findings from the 2013 Disability Survey showed people in rented homes were more likely than people in owner-occupied to
report difficulty keeping their house warm.
More than 30 percent of disabled people who rent experience damp. The rate for non-disabled renters was just less than
25 percent.
“A cold, damp house is more common for disabled people than non-disabled,” wellbeing and housing statistics manager
Litia Tapu said. Overall, 24 percent of disabled people living in rented houses reported both cold and damp, compared
with 15 percent of non-disabled people.
The 2013 Disability Survey also found one in six people with an impairment (16 percent) needed some modification to
their homes – most commonly changes to their bathroom. One in four (25 percent) disabled people with a physical
impairment needed bathroom modifications and about one in six (17 percent) said they needed changes to their home
entranceway.
See Disability and housing conditions: 2013 for more details.