A survey of more than 600 renters shows most rental properties are damp and aren't insulated.

The so-called People's Review of Renting by advocacy groups Action Station and Renters United paints a grim picture for renters across the country.

Seventy percent of the survey respondents' properties aren't insulated, just over half aren't weathertight and more than 60 percent don't have a fixed form of effective heating.

However, landlords say independent research by BRANZ shows the exact opposite – that 70 percent of rental homes do in fact have insulation.

“The advocates admit that their findings are not representative and that the nature and timing of the review meant they were more likely to hear from people sharing negative experiences,” Property Investors’ Federation executive officer Andrew King told Newshub.



Renters who took part in the new study say poor housing makes them physically and mentally unwell. They feel desperate and unable to raise problems with landlords because the demand for rental properties is high.

"You're just so cold you don't want to do anything," one anonymous renter who took part in the survey said.

Another said: "The power is all in the landlord's hands and the tenant has almost none."