Applications for Summer Renter Researchers 2024 are now closed.

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Want to join a team of renters across Australia helping to build support for better quality rental homes?

We're looking for 'Renter Researchers' to sign up to track the temperature in your home over summer. We'll use data and input from Renter Researchers to document the impact of substandard homes on renters, getting this evidence into the media and in front of decision-makers. This is part of the 'Healthy Homes for Renters' project and will help to build political support for minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties.

This is especially important for the coming summer. It's going to be really hot and tough for renters, and so it's especially important that we work together to document these experiences and amplify a call for change. We're going to run the biggest project yet, with over 100 Researchers taking part. With more Renter Researchers than ever before, we’ll reach more people, contact more MPs, and win more change. If you’re passionate about improving the quality of rental homes and want to join an advocacy-driven community of renters, get involved!

Here's how it works:

• You apply below to be a Renter Researcher, before Friday October 27.
• If selected, you receive a temperature tracker and join an online community of fellow Researchers.
• Through summer, you'll regularly sync data with a smartphone app, and we use this to build a picture of how renters are faring. We also encourage you to share your experiences on social media and with other Researchers.
• We'll stay in touch on the phone and through short surveys to help understand the impact of summer heat and humidity on you and other renters.
• To help you make the most of your participation, we'll organise professional media training for all Researchers, and also an advocacy workshop from a former politician. We'll give you chances to speak to journalists and your local politicians about your experiences. 

Data gathering through temperature trackers will be anonymous. Anything identifiable or in the media will be voluntary, and we will pay an honorarium for people who appear in the media. (You can see the participant agreement here.)

Examples of media coverage from Summer Renter Researchers 2023

What you get out of it:

• Help to build national support for policy changes to make rental homes healthier and more affordable.
• Free temperature tracker to keep. Is your bedroom crazy hot? Now you can know for sure.
• Professional training in media and advocacy, and increased capacity to get your voice out there. 

You should apply if:

• You care about rental rights &/or improving rental housing.
• You are interested in citizen science projects and data.
• You like the idea of using your story to achieve political change. 

Feedback from other Renter Researchers:

"Participating in this group has helped in many ways. Getting tips from other renters and learning what effective steps we can take to help keep our house cooler has been invaluable."

"I have loved having the solidarity and support of other Renter researchers throughout this project! Would love to be included in the winter run too! It's really made me feel a little bit of extra empowerment and hearing people's experiences as renters makes me feel stronger and not alone in my experiences."

"This was a fantastic project, being able to track my heat was really illuminating and the best thing was the little community formed on the Whatsapp group. It really felt like we had some kind of solidarity with other renters rather than 'going it alone'."

Interested? Apply using the form below.

If you have any other questions before applying, please email [email protected]. If you'd like to make a donation to support the project, you can do so here.