If you’re cold and miserable this winter in your freezing Australian home, try this fun game | Deirdre Fidge

Complaining is a universal language that creates social bonds quicker than chatting about positive topics. In these economic times it is a cheap way to treat yourself. When was the last time you had a little whinge? I indulged mere moments ago. Some call it negativity, I call it self-care, and there’s no better time than winter to complain because it is so cold .

My daily winter outfit in our sunburnt country is leggings, thermals, hoodie, flannelette shirt, beanie and slippers, and I’m considering buying gloves and a balaclava due to chilblains. Along with draping myself in blankets this has been a staple winter outfit for years in Melbourne and Sydney houses prone to mould, crumbling foundations and draftiness that could be attributed to poor insulation or ghosts. I like to imagine ghosts because they’re less spooky than landlords.

And so here we are in another winter, where the inside temperature of my house sits at about 8C to 10C degrees on good days and I’m reminded of the childhood activity of holding an invisible cigarette and “blowing out smoke” (seeing your own breath). While this is undoubtedly a cool activity, it’s odd to be doing it inside as an adult.

Another winter game I inevitably play is Cold or Wet? This consists of gently touching drying laundry and asking yourself if it’s cold or just wet. Cold or Wet? You think, squishing a sock betwixt red, swollen fingers. Cold or Wet? You wonder as you slide your legs into icy bedsheets. Cold or Wet? You chant aloud because chanting is almost as fun as complaining. Cold or Wet? Cold or Wet! (I’ve been told prolonged exposure to black mould can affect cognition.)

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Unfortunately my self-care of complaining increased after experiencing the joys of living in properly insulated housing. Weirdly enough, the warmest I’ve felt overall is when I lived in Scotland in an old tenement building. Double-glazed windows, heating in every room – this is housing built for the cold. Even without heating on, I never needed a beanie, woollen socks or thermals indoors, unlike now in sunny Sydney. I’ve seen how the other half live and it’s warm.

Chances are you know first-hand how miserable Australia’s housing conditions are. We have a national house energy rating scheme which gives a score ranging from zero to 10 stars based on a home’s energy efficiency. The minimum required performance for new homes has just increased from six to seven stars, which is great for people who live in new buildings.

But what about the older houses? Those lovely heritage-listed crumbling masterpieces, the petri dishes with mouldy high ceilings? Well, it won’t surprise you to learn that the average existing home built before 2003 has a rating of just 1.8 stars . Freezing in the winter, boiling in the summer … for one freakish day in spring though, it’s fabulous.

Related: It’s just as hard at 70 to buy your first home in Australia | Ken Haley

There are countless examples of this across the country, endless stories of tenants living (and often working) in freezing environments. For context, the World Health Organization deems 18C a “safe and well-balanced indoor temperature”. Yet 80% of the time , rental properties record temperatures lower than that. Far lower, if the bathroom spores who have started communicating with me are to be believed (which they are).

We’ve signed petitions, informed property managers, contacted local MPs and apparently we just have to live like this. So what to do when we have no control? When properties aren’t maintained, rent is barely affordable, when there aren’t any national heating and cooling standards, wage growth is stagnating and home ownership is out of reach? I’ve noticed others share their winter woes and I’d never begrudge anyone a little whinge.

Besides, the situation is ridiculous so we may as well act accordingly. Give it a try: play Cold or Wet, buy a balaclava and frighten your family – it’s cathartic! Make sure to stomp your feet and emit little “ hmmpf ” noises too – at least it’ll help circulation.

• Deirdre Fidge is a writer and social worker who has written for ABC’s Get Krack!n and The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, and the BBC. Her work has appeared in ABC News, SBS, the Sydney Morning Herald and Frankie magazine