Australians are struggling through one of the most brutal heatwaves and hottest summers on record. Day after day, temperatures into the high 30s are turning homes into ovens, workplaces into hazards, and everyday tasks into endurance tests.

All of us are feeling it. But spare a thought for the millions of renters trying to survive this heat in homes that were never designed to cope with it.

Across the country, renters are living in properties with no insulation, poor sealing, broken or inadequate fans or no cooling options at all. Others technically have air conditioning, but they are in such extreme rental stress they can’t afford to turn it on. In the midst of a housing crisis, even basic cooling has become a luxury.

This is not a minor inconvenience. It is a serious public health risk.

A recent survey by Everybody’s Home paints a confronting picture of how renters are coping. Large numbers report that their homes become dangerously hot in summer, yet many are forced to ration electricity use or go without cooling........

© The Guardian