Healthy Homes Assessment Harbour View

Rental Property Expert Advice

Healthy Homes Assessment Services

Did you not know that Healthy Homes Standards came into effect on the 1st of July 2021? The landlords are now required to ensure their Harbour View rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of any renewal or new tenancy and all private rentals are required to be fully conforming by the 1st July 2024.

The subjects covered in the Healthy Homes Standards are:

• Draught Stopping
• Heating
• Insulation
• Ventilation
• Moisture Ingress & Drainage

We can assess your rental property to determine if it meets the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts standards. After the assessment, we will advise you or your property manager of the work needed to be completed. requirements to be completed, and offer the report with all the information needed to complete your tenancy agreement’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Failure to comply with the requirements under the Healthy Homes Standards is a breach in the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and any landlord found not complying may be liable for up to $7200 plus any additional healthier homes relevant fines.

We are completely independent assessors of rental properties, in addition, we’re fully certified for both Healthy Homes and Homefit.

Call Now (04) 280 6777

Rental Property Healthy Homes Fines

Fines for Failing to Comply

As of 1st July 2021, when a brand new, renewed or varied tenancy is signed for a Harbour View rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work need to be completed by the end of 90 days.

As of 1st July 2021, when a new, renewed or varied tenancy is signed on the Harbour View rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be finished by the end of 90 days.

Inability to adhere to any of the Healthy Homes Standards by the end of the period of time expected can lead to the possibility of a fine up to $7200. Additionally, if a existing Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance isn’t incorporated within the renewal, new or revised tenancy agreement there could be an additional penalty or infringement fee.

Any tenant can ask for details regarding the Healthy Homes Standard and how they relate to the home they live in. If the landlord or property manager is unable to provide the required information within 21 days of having received the inquiry, they can receive an infringement notice and could be fined up to $750.

Additionally, there is also a penalty up to $900 for landlords and property managers that provide false or inaccurate Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance or any other information. The person who is responsible for this fine is the person who is named on the lease agreement as the one who is renting the property, so it could be the name of the landlord or the company that manages the property.

All information in the Compliance Statement needs to be current at the time that the tenancy agreement is completed, and must be updated through the tenancy period as relevant work gets completed.

It’s crucial to remember that a landlord who manage multiple rental properties may receive greater penalties for non-compliance. The harshest penalties are reserved for severe breaches, and landlords with six or more properties can be fined as high as $50,000, or as high as $100,000 in hearing claims.

It is clear that failure to meet the Healthy Homes requirements can hit your wallet hard, resulting in large fines in addition to continuing to be required to comply with the requirements. Do not risk your rental property call us now and make arrangements to have a home inspection performed on your rental property.

Find the full information on this law. Residential Tenancies Act landlords responsibilities.

Healthy homes are important

Why is Healthy Homes Compliance important?

One in three households in New Zealand and Harbour View, and research suggests that rental houses are more likely to be colder, older and have less effective heating and have lower quality than owner occupied properties.

The damp, cold and mouldy houses are associated with negative health outcomes, especially for illnesses such as colds and asthma, as well as cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, those who reported at least four major house quality problems often experience low life satisfaction and reduced well-being.

Enhancing the standard of Harbour View rental property can help tenants enjoy better physical and mental health and minimise the disruptions to their work, education and daily life due to illnesses. Your investment is also better protected from mildew, mould and damp damages, which means less maintenance costs over the long term.

The Healthy Homes Standard is a list of the specific and minimum standards for Heating, Insulation Ventilation, Moisture ingress and Drainage, as well Draught-stopping in Harbour View rental properties.

Get started now and contact us about receiving a Harbour View Healthy Home assessment on your rental property right now.

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Harbour View

Draughts may lead to lower temperatures in homes. A cold home will cost more to heat, resulting in wasted energy and incurring higher costs.

If a draught is perceived as a result of gaps or holes, it requirements to be sealed.

What are unreasonable gaps or holes?

If you can feel external air getting in, or see the sound of a clear draught emanating from a crack or a gap and you are able to feel it, it’s most likely a gap or hole which requirements sealing in some way. Cracks and gaps that are large should be permanently stopped. Cracks that are greater than 3mm and allow air to enter or exit into your home need sealing. For example, if an open fireplace is not in use, it may cause draughts and should be blocked off. Property managers and landlords are accountable for ensuring that these draughts are stopped as much as imaginable.

There is no require to block up intentional gaps or holes that are part of the construction. For instance, small gaps around doors and windows may be required to allow for the movement of the structure as the home heats and cools, so that they are able to be shut and opened, rather instead of being stuck. We will inspect all windows and doors during our Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

Check out the complete details regarding the Healthy Homes draught stopping requirements.

Proper heating is important for well-being homes

Heating Harbour View

Harbour View rental properties require a reliable source of heat which can warm the main or largest living area to at minimum 18degC even on the most coldest days of the year. This is the minimum indoor temperature recommended by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical health and mental well-being.

The source of heating needs that it be permanently fixed (i.e. not portable) with at least 1.5 kW in heating capacity, and it must have the minimum required heating capacity to heat the living space in general. A Heating Assessment Tool may be used to determine whether your current permanent heater(s) are adequate or if you’ll need to "top-up" with an additional heater. Open fires as well as unflued combustion heaters like portable LPG bottle heaters are not considered to be suitable heating options in Healthy Homes Standard. Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating that you provide is electric heating or heat pump, it requirements to include an thermostat. This will help make the heating more consistent and effective. For most houses, larger fixed heating systems such as wood burners, heat pumps pellet burners, flued gas heaters will be required. In some instances, like apartments with small spaces small apartments, a smaller electric fixed heater may suffice.

If your main living space already has a permanent heating source, like heat pumps, it could need an upgrade to be able to meet the standards. Certain kinds of heaters cannot be utilised to meet the standard as they are either not efficient, cost prohibitive to operate and/or unhealthy to run.

See the full details for the Healthy Homes heating requirements.

Ventilation Harbour View

Each liveable space in a rental property must contain at minimum one open window or exterior door to offer natural ventilation. In addition, high moisture areas such as kitchens and bathrooms need to have an venting fan outside to eliminate moisture.

It is the ventilation standard is about recognising how the dry atmosphere is more easy to heat and that a well ventilated rental property is less likely to be a victim of mould and damp.

Bedrooms, living spaces, kitchens and dining rooms are considered liveable spaces. Spaces that connect, such as the hallways are not living spaces and therefore don’t require an opening door or window.

Each window, door , or the skylight needs to have the ability open to the outside while remaining set in an opening position in order to allow ventilation and fresh air air flow.

All bathrooms and kitchens and any other room in your home that has a bath, shower or cooktop, or any other moisture-producing item will require appropriate extractor fans that vent out to the outside. We offer a Healthy Homes Assessment service will make sure there is sufficient ventilation in each livable space with the right extractor fan in areas of high moisture.

Check out the complete details of The Healthy Homes ventilation standard.

A cozy dry home is a healthy house

Insulation Harbour View

Insulation for underfloor and ceilings is a requirement for all rent homes since July 1, 2019. Property managers and landlords are required to ensure the insulation meets this new standard. In some cases, an existing insulation on the ceiling or in the sub floor space may need to be added or replaced.

A properly insulated home can help control condensation and reduce the chances of mould and dampness, as well as making more easy for the home to keep heat.

Insulation needs to be in compliance with the R-values that are appropriate for your region.

The "R" refers to thermal resistance and is a measure of how well the insulation is able to resist heat flow. The higher the R-value, the better the insulation.

• Zone 1 - Auckland & Northland Ceiling R 2.9 in the underfloor, 1.3
• Zone 2 – all part of North Island except Taupo and the Central Plateau – ceiling R 2.9 and floor R 1.3
• Zone 3 Zone 3 North Island Taupo, Central Plateau and all of the South Island – ceiling R 3.3 below floor R 1.3

Find out all the details about this Healthy Homes insulation quality.

Harbour View Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Keeping your rental property safe from water damage isn’t only about what’s inside the building it’s also about the outside. You must make sure there is somewhere to allow surface, rain as well as groundwater to move, and stop it from coming into the building. When it is about damp and water, it is usually those things that you aren’t aware of that could be a huge problem and cause damage to your investment as well as affecting your tenant’s health.

Rental properties need to be equipped with efficient drainage to eliminate floodwaters, surface water, and groundwater, with the proper outfall or runoff. Making sure the water has a location to go, and it can’t linger underneath the structures is an important aspect of maintaining your property’s dry.

Alongside the drainage system that will prevent moisture ingress, if your property has an enclosed space between the floor and the surface, a ground moisture barrier must be constructed if it is reasonably practicable to install it.

Ground moisture barriers are typically a sheet of polythene that is placed over the ground to stop any moisture that is present in the ground from rising into the property. It also helps to prevent any damage to your underfloor insulation.

Check out the complete details of The Healthy Homes moisture ingress and drainage standard.

Is your rental a Healthy Home?

Rental Property Home Assessments Harbour View

The areas of rental property that are affected by the Healthy Homes Standards in Harbour View include each:

• Living Rooms
• Bedroom
• Dining Rooms
• Bathrooms
• Kitchens
• Laundry

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Harbour View for Rental Properties

There are a myriad of things to check in the house evaluation to determine if your rental property is in compliance with all the basic requirements of Healthy Homes Standards. There are a few examples:

• Is the sub floor space well-insulated? Is there a ground waterproofing barrier?
• Is the ceiling insulation in need of topping up? need to be topped up or replaced?
• Does the heat pump have sufficient capacity?
• Is there adequate drainage and draught stopping?
• Does the home has enough ventilation, including extractor fans?

The consequences of not having a Healthy home that is in compliance with The Residential Tenancies Act and consequently getting on the wrong side of a Tenancy solutions ruling can have a significant impact for landlords and property managers. For professional assistance, get in touch today and book your rental property home assessment.