Dunedin city councillors have thrown their support behind a fresh call to raise the ''appalling'' standard of rental housing in New Zealand. Councillors at yesterday's community and culture committee meeting were discussing a council submission on new rules for healthy homes in New Zealand. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is consulting on new healthy homes standards, which, if adopted, would require landlords to bring their properties up to new standards for warm, dry rental homes and keep additional records of improvements. However, Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull was among those to back the initiative yesterday, saying the poor standard of rental homes was already costing the country ''millions and millions of dollars'' in healthcare and misery. ''Guaranteeing minimum standards for our rental properties is long overdue.''

Source: Otago Daily Times October 16, 2018 15:45 UTC