Greens Senator Samantha Ratnam has called on the Victorian government to make air conditioning compulsory in rental properties.
The Victorian senator has called for amendments to minimum standards for rental properties.
Ratnam said Victorians are battling longer and hotter heat waves due to climate change which is why air conditioners should be mandatory.
Current standards for rental properties cover heating but not cooling.
“Every rental home must have a heater in good working order but there are no standards for insulation or cooling,” Ratnam said in a letter to the Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Melissa Horne.
“As Victorians swelter through another warm summer, many renters are living in homes without air conditioning or effective insulation,and are struggling to keep their homes cool in the hot weather.”
Ratnam said more people are spending more time at home as a result of COVID-19.
“Victorians are also once again working from home in line with current health advice, meaning many renters are spending long hours in hot conditions, and at risk of developing heat-related illness or heatstroke,” she said.
Tenants Victoria chief executive, Jennifer Beveridge, said standards for rental properties have been updated with new rules coming into effect on 29 March, 2022.
Under the new rules, rental properties must have curtains or blinds fitted to each window in any room likely to be used as a bedroom or living area.