Housing standards

Can there really be anything wrong with raising the standard of rental properties, especially where health is involved? Of course the knockers are already at the door, with Judith Collins leading the charge. Her concern is not that so many renters live in substandard environments but that some landlords will have to pull out of a very lucrative game. Mathematically, it must mean less rentals, more opportunities for first-home buyers. This is not about taxes or hitting on landlords, it’s about a dry home for all, especially the young and old, the most vulnerable. This is a win-win situation where dry warm homes means better health and attitude to life. There has to be an insulation standard for rental properties otherwise we show complete disregard for the wellbeing of others. Reg Dempster, Albany.