The Tenants Protection Association says many renters feel they will end up homeless if they complain about a leaking, mouldy home.
This week the NZ Herald revealed 20 kiwi kids are dying each year from the likes of asthma, pneumonia and bronchiolitis, because damp homes are making them sick.
READ MORE:Â Crowded, damp homes killing 20 kids every year
Our health stats show that's twice the number who die from car crashes or drowning.
Christchurch TPA Manager Di Harwood said a lot of people with damp homes don't have the money to pay for something else.
"There is a real fear ... that if they go to the landlord and say, hey I'm not happy, the house is cold and damp and you need to do this, this and this, that the landlord will give them a 90 day notice or make life a little bit more difficult for them."
Harwood said the best way to improve the stats would be WOF checks on homes.
"I'd like to see central government actually do something with that, consult on it, bring it in, and then give local government the ability to enforce it. There's the Residential Tenancies Act, but actually, that's nowhere near enough."
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