Amy Wiggins.
A new law requiring rental properties to be insulated will pay off for tenants and landlords in the long run - but there will be a cost for both in the short term.
The law change this week means rentals with no insulation will need to upgrade to 2008 standards
by July 2019, unless it is physically impossible to put in ceiling and floor insulation.
Most Kiwis know what it is like to live in a cold, draughty, uninsulated house. It's almost like a rite of passage for young people studying or beginning work. For most young people in their late teens and 20s it's no big deal.
Yes, it's unpleasant and you may get sick slightly more often but you survive.
I look back now and laugh at the times I would come home to our cold, uninsulated Auckland flat to find four girls snuggled up on the couch under blankets trying to stay warm. Our unit now is not much better but we choose to bite the bullet and fork out the extra cost of running a heater - although getting up to a freezing house in the mornings is not pleasant. That said, it's not hard to find out if a house is insulated when you're looking for a place to rent (the property manager should know but, failing that, a quick peer up into the roof space or under the house will give you a good idea) and then it's up to you to decide if you're happy to live there.
