Extreme heat is one of the most serious and growing risks facing renters in Australia. We've found that many rental homes are dangerously hot in summer, with indoor temperatures regularly exceeding levels considered safe or comfortable for human health. For renters, exposure to extreme indoor heat is often unavoidable. Unlike owner-occupiers, renters typically have limited control over the design, insulation, ventilation, and cooling systems in their homes. And for renters living in apartments and high-rise building units—who often have even less ability to alter their home environments to cope with it—the summer heat can be even more severe. Top-floor units, west-facing windows, concrete and brick walls, limited cross-ventilation and sealed windows mean heat gets trapped, and it often stays trapped overnight.

With generous funding from the City of Sydney, we tracked the temperatures in 21 NSW apartments over the course of the summer and talked to another 25 NSW renters living in apartments. We found that apartment-dwelling renters are dealing with indoor temperatures that can be as high as 40°C, that their sleep is often disrupted, and that they are frequently forced to flee their own homes due to heat. 

We compiled our findings into the report below, Too Hot to Be Home.