Revealing the widespread existence and serious adverse health consequences of low-price rental housing in urban villages in Xiamen, China

Abstract

Xiamen, China, currently experiencing rapid development, needs to house large numbers of migrant workers who receive relatively low pay, prompting original residents in urban villages to repurpose and rebuild their original houses for low-price letting. In this conglomerate study, we firstly gauged the scale of existence of low-price rental housing (LPRH) in the city’s rental housing market and the severity of their indoor environmental deficiencies. Questionnaires were then employed to reveal the actual living experience of their renters and the consequences on their health. Finally, statistical analyses were used to find the origin of any reported health problems. It was found that partitioned rural rental housings (PRRHs), the specific type of LPRH developed in Xiamen, represented the majority of rental housing supply in most areas of the city, and that the indoor environment parameters were mostly negative, both from the on-site measurements and from renters’ experience. The sub-standard environmental parameters also showed correlational relationships to the renters’ health. This research highlights the significant presence of PRRHs in Xiamen and their disservice for renters’ health, calling governmental intervention throughout the lifetime of LPRHs in all cities including formulating adequate housing plans to house population explosions and renovating and replacing existing LPRHs.