https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jun/03/victoria-rental-properties-heating-and-cooling-standards-air-conditioning-state-government-proposal?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Properties will require air conditioning, external door seals and ceiling insulation under proposed new standards
Legislation only works when it is enforced and there aren’t any loopholes.
Tenants; The rent is unsustainable and the heating bills are nearly as high as the rent!
Government; Let’s make landlords improve properties so that they are more efficient.
Green-Energy scammers; Let’s sell a solution that rides the loophole line between being government-compliant and non-functional.
Landlords; We can pay the scammers a pittance and charge our Tenants more.
Tenants; We are still cold and now paying higher rents and higher energy bills.
Pretty easy now that there's no weasel way to evict a tenant. The big issue is that VCAT needs a massive injection of staff and funds
What's the point of fighting if it takes VCAT over a year to take your case? I went to VCAT over a bond issue and that took a year to resolve.
Unless the landlord emails you stating "I'm evicting you in retaliation for x", it's almost impossible to prove.
I get the impression Australian houses are just this poorly insulated in general, and it’s a whole thing.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
All Victorian rental properties will need air conditioning, draught proofing on doors and a certain amount of ceiling insulation under new minimum heating and cooling standards proposed by the state government.
The government on Monday announced it would begin consultation on the expanded standards requirements, including for broken appliances to be replaced with energy efficient ones, which it said would drive down power bills for renters by more than $800 a year.
The consumer affairs minister, Gabrielle Williams, said Victoria was facing a growing rental cohort who were also renting for longer.
Farah Farouque, the director of community engagement at Tenants Victoria, said it welcomed any move to improve minimum standards for renters.
“Renting is an essential service, and renters need better requirements for ceiling insulation and sealings against draughts to ward off the impacts of variable temperatures making their homes hotter and colder in different seasons,” she said.
The state government introduced minimum renting standards in 2021 which include a requirement for landlords to provide a fixed heater.
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