Why we need a warrant of fitness for rental housing: because unhealthy housing is making thousands of kids sick a year:
In a 50-page paper released today, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians has called on politicians to do more to address the causes of health inequity in New Zealand.
Too many people were living in cold, mouldy and over-crowded homes and it was ruining the health of children in particular, the college said.
[...]
"Cold, old, damp and mouldy houses directly links to poor health through respiratory illnesses, and those illnesses affect vulnerable groups in our society like children and elderly people and can exacerbate their other health conditions."
That was especially bad in winter, Dr Christiansen said.
More than 40,000 people were living in precarious, insecure housing, including garages, sheds and caravan park, he said.
The problem here is the houses. So why won't the government address this? Simple: because they're all landlords, and sticking up for their own "right" to profit from (government-created) desperation by renting out unhealthy homes. It is simply corrupt. But that is how the establishment rules New Zealand.
