A decent home has key features that can be measured A decent home has certain important qualities that can be evaluated and measured. The United Nations has highlighted seven principles that help determine whether housing is adequate and decent.41 These principles are closely connected and influence each other. If our homes and housing initiatives do not reflect these principles, it means they are not achieving the right to a decent home unless it can be shown that all reasonable steps have been made to meet these standards. A decent home is habitable Our homes should be warm, dry and healthy and protect us from cold, damp, heat, rain, wind, structural hazards, disease, and other threats to our health. Our homes should protect us from and mitigate the effects of climate change. A decent home provides security of tenure Security of tenure means we have the right to feel secure and stable in our homes and not worry that we might suddenly be evicted for no good reason. There should be protections for residents in relation to eviction, discrimination, harassment and other unfair treatment. No evictions should result in homelessness. A decent home is affordable Our housing costs should not compromise our ability to afford other basic and reasonable needs such as doctor’s visits and groceries. Housing is usually understood as unaffordable when housing costs are more than 30 percent of a household’s take-home income. In particular, tenants should be protected appropriately against unreasonable rent levels and increases. A decent home is accessible We should all be able to access a home that meets our needs, whether through home ownership, private rental, social housing, or other forms of housing. Accessibility has multiple different levels – systemic (homes that we can access without discrimination), physical (homes that meet everyone’s access needs and support disabled people to live fully in our communities) and financial (being able to afford access to a home). Tenure, which has a cultural dimension, takes a variety of forms, including Māori systems of land tenure, owner-occupation, rental (public and private), individual and collective, cooperative housing, social housing and emergency housing A decent home is located so we can participate fully in society Decent housing needs to be in places that allow access to education and childcare, employment opportunities, and healthcare services as well as supermarkets, accessible transport routes, marae, and other social facilities. Houses that are too far away from these opportunities and services make it hard for people to live and participate in society. Our homes should also be protected from environmental and climate change impacts. Location can make a huge difference, especially as Aotearoa begins to experience sea-level rise, worse and more frequent flooding, and other climate change-related weather events. 3. Understanding and asserting your right to a decent home 29