{
  "id": 1204541,
  "title": "'Substandard housing tenants face extreme heat'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/substandard-housing-tenants-face-extreme-heat-1204541",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-16T05:11:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RTHK English",
    "slug": "rthk-english",
    "url": "https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1866332-20260816.htm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Low-income families living in substandard housing are experiencing extreme heat, according to a survey conducted by the Concerning Subdivided Units Alliance and CarbonCare InnoLab. The study tracked temperatures in 78 households over three weeks in late June and early July. Indoor temperatures reached up to 44.4 degrees, with the \"feels-like\" temperature soaring to 52 degrees during the day and remaining high at 51 degrees at night. Seventy-four percent of respondents reported symptoms of heat exhaustion, while 70 percent experienced poor sleep quality due to the heat. One respondent in his 70s, living in an 80-square-foot unit, witnessed his wife suffer from dizziness, breathing difficulties, and chest tightness due to the intense heat. A woman with a family of three pays HK$4,000 a month in rent, about one-third of their income, and spends most of her day at a nearby community living room to escape the suffocating conditions. Experts say many households cannot afford to run air conditioning for extended periods, and poor ventilation exacerbates the problem. The survey recommends incorporating indoor high temperature and night-time heat risk into the city's upcoming climate action plan, along with long-term temperature monitoring and mandating heat insulation and shading in basic housing units.",
  "summary": "There are calls for enhanced support for low-income residents after a survey found that families living in inadequate housing face extreme heat, especially during the summer. The joint study by the Concerning Subdivided Units Alliance and CarbonCare InnoLab surveyed 78 households in inadequate housing and tracked temperatures inside their units for three straight weeks between late June and early…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "RTHK News",
        "title": "'Substandard housing tenants face extreme heat'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/substandard-housing-tenants-face-extreme-heat",
        "published": "2026-08-16T05:11:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}