The Green Party has today placed a Rental Warrant of Fitness Bill in the Member’s Ballot.

“1.4 million renters in Aotearoa spend more of their income on older, colder and mouldier housing than those who own. That is a political choice. The Greens choose to prioritise and guarantee warm, dry homes for all and today we’re putting our solution in the ballot,” said Green Party renters’ rights spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick.

“The Government currently has no real world data on how many private rental properties are Healthy Homes Standard compliant. They have no idea how many landlords have self-verified exclusions to those standards. They have no idea whether the companies holding themselves out as verifying these standards are doing rigorous checks. These systemic failures are precisely how renters fall through the cracks and end up in our hospitals with preventable illnesses from cold, damp homes.

“Our WOF Bill fixes these issues once and for all, by ensuring homes are certified warm and dry instead of continuing to place the burden on tenants to fight for basic human rights through the Tenancy Tribunal.

“We don’t need to rely on the lottery of the ballot to make this law. The Government can and should adopt this obvious, evidence based solution and I’m calling on Labour to do exactly that.

“Any political party that stops short of ensuring everyone’s home is healthy and affordable is actively choosing to make life harder for 1.4 million renting New Zealanders. Those politicians are choosing to prioritise profit over people.

“Renters deserve better. We know how to make homes safe, healthy, affordable, and warm. What’s so far been missing is the mainstream political willpower to get it done. Renters have waited long enough. The time is now,” says Chlöe Swarbrick.

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