Local trust helping renters with healthy homes

Local trust helping renters with healthy homes

A local charitable trust is helping renters get warmer, healthier houses by offering extra incentives for insulation to landlords, over and above the government subsidy. Two cold and rainy days this week remind us of what’s to come for winter.

“We do a lot of free in-home energy audits and have long realised that tenants are among those worst off,” says Sheila Hailstone, Chief Executive of Community Energy Action Charitable Trust. “So that’s why we have decided to step in and help out.”

Insulation could now cost the landlord as little as $500.

Many people in Christchurch are suffering ill health as a result of homes that are too cold.

“The aim of our trust is to change that. Good insulation will save tenants on their heating bills and keep them warmer and healthier.”

Bill Gaffeney has insulated another of his rental properties recently like he has done others before. “I like to keep my properties up to standard so I won’t get any complaints and it gets rented out easily,” he says. “What it costs is well worth it. I wouldn’t have a rental property without insulation.”

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