26 Feb 2019

Poor housing costing taxpayers $145m a year - report

From Morning Report, 8:22 am on 26 February 2019

A day after the Government announced tough new insulation and heating standards for rental homes, new research from the University of Otago says poor housing conditions cost taxpayers more than $145 million a year in ACC claims and hospitalisation costs. It says those costs were solely attributable to homes that were cold, damp, mouldy, or dangerous to live in. The study's co-author, Dr Lynn Riggs, speaks to Philippa Tolley.