Healthy Homes Assessment Homedale

Rental Property Expert Advice

Healthy Homes Assessment Services

Did you not know that Healthy Homes Standards came into in force on July 1, 2021? Landlords must make sure their Homedale rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of a renewed or new tenancy and all private rentals are required to be completely in compliance by July 1st 2024.

The areas covered by the Healthy Homes Standards are:

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

We will assess your rental property to check if it meets the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts standards. After the assessment, we will advise you or your property manager about any tasks needed to be completed. requirements to be done, and provide an assessment report that includes all the necessary information for your Tenancy Agreement’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Failure to meet the obligations to comply with the Healthy Homes Standards is a breach of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and any landlord who is found to be not following the rules could be subject to fines of up to $7,200 in addition to any healthy homes associated fines.

We are fully independent assessors of rental properties, in addition, we’re fully certified to assess 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 Homedale rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance tasks need to be taken care of by the end of 90 days.

Beginning on July 1st, 2021, once a new, renewed or varied tenancy is signed on a Homedale rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be done by the end of 90 days.

Inability to adhere to all of the Healthy Homes Standards inside of the anticipated timeframe could result in an amount of $7200. Furthermore, if a currently-in place Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance isn’t included in an updated, renewed, or revised tenancy contract, there may be additional penalties or an infringement fee.

Any tenant may request details about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they relate to the home they are living in. If the property manager fails to provide the information requested within 21 days from receiving the request, they may receive an infringement notification and could be fined up to $750.

Additionally, there is an additional fine of as much as $900 for property owners or property managers that provide false or misleading Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance or information. The person who is liable to pay this fine is the one who is identified on the tenancy contract as the person who is letting the property It could also be the name of the landlord or the property management company.

All information in the Statement of Compliance needs to be up-to-date at the time that the tenancy agreement is signed, and ideally it is updated during the entire tenancy, as associated work has been completed.

It’s crucial to note that landlords who manage multiple rental properties may face more severe penalties for not complying. The highest penalties are reserved for severe violations, and landlords who own more than six properties could receive fines of up to $50,000, or as high as $100,000 in hearing claims.

It is clear that failure to adhere to the Healthy Homes requirements can hit your wallet resulting in significant fines and still being required to adhere to the regulations. Don’t risk your rental property Contact us now and make arrangements to have an house evaluation performed for your rental property.

Get the full description of the Residential Tenancies Act landlords responsibilities.

Healthy homes are important

Why is Healthy Homes Compliance so important?

One in three households rent from New Zealand and Homedale, and research shows us that these rental homes are more likely to be older, colder, are not as efficient heating and have lower quality than the houses of owners.

Damp, mouldy and cold homes are associated with negative well-being outcomes, especially for ailments like colds and flu, asthma and cardiovascular issues. Furthermore, people who reported four or more key house quality problems often experience low life satisfaction and reduced mental wellbeing.

Improve the quality of Homedale rental property can help tenants enjoy better physical and mental health and reduce the disruptions to their work, education and living because of illness. Your investment is also secured from mildew, mould and damp damages, which means less costs of maintenance over the long term.

The Healthy Homes Standard is a listing of minimum and specific requirements for heating, insulation Ventilation and Ventilation and Drainage, and Draught stopping for Homedale rental properties.

Contact us now to discuss getting a Homedale Healthy Home assessment on your rental property today.

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Homedale

Draughts are a major cause of lower temperatures in homes. A damp house will cost more to heat, which results in wasting energy and incurring higher costs.

If a draught is felt from unreasonable gaps or holes or holes, it requirements to be sealed.

What are the most unreasonable gaps or holes?

If you can feel external air flowing in or an unobstructed draught coming from a hole or gap and you are able to feel it, it’s likely a crack or an opening that needs sealing in the way you can. Large cracks and gaps should be stopped permanently. Any gaps greater than 3mm that let air in or out of the home require the sealing. In the case of an open fireplace isn’t used it may cause draughts and should be blocked from. Property managers and landlords are responsible for ensuring that these draughts are stopped as much as imaginable.

There is no need to cover up gaps or holes in the building. For instance, small gaps around doors and windows might be necessary to allow for movement within the building when the household warms and cools to allow them to be closed and opened instead of than securing. We will test every window and door as part of your Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

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

A good heating system is important to ensure healthy homes

Heating Homedale

Homedale rental properties require a reliable heating source that can warm the principal or the biggest living room to at least 18degC even on the winter coldest days. This is the recommended minimum indoor temperature recommended by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical health and mental wellbeing.

The source of heat needs to remain fixed (i.e. not portable) and at minimum 1.5 kW in heating capacity and have the minimum capacity for heating required for the main living room. A Heating Assessment Tool could be used to determine whether the permanent heater(s) are sufficient or whether you will need to "top up" with a new heater. Fires that are open and unflued heaters, such as mobile LPG bottle heaters aren’t considered to be safe heating options in those following the Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating that you offer is electric heating or heat pump it must include an thermostat. This will help make the heating more uniform and effective. In most homes, larger fixed heating systems such as wood burners, heat pumps pellet burners, flued gas heaters are needed. In certain situations, like small apartment buildings an electric, fixed heater may be sufficient.

If the living area already has a central heating source like a heat pump, then it may need an upgrade to meet the standards. Certain kinds of heaters cannot be utilised to meet the quality as they are either expensive, inefficient or are unsafe to operate.

Check out the complete details to the Healthy Homes heating requirements.

Ventilation Homedale

Every living space of a rental property must have at least one opening door or window to provide natural airflow. In addition, humid areas such as kitchens and bathrooms need to have an externally vented extractor fan to get rid of moisture.

This ventilation quality is all about understanding the fact that dried air can be more easy to heat and that a property that is well ventilated is less likely to develop damp and mould.

Bedrooms, living spaces, kitchens and dining rooms are all considered living spaces. Connecting spaces like the hallways are not liveable and are not require an opening window or door.

Each window, door , or skylight needs for them to be in a position open to the outside, but remain at an open angle in order to allow to circulate fresh air as well as air flow.

All bathrooms and kitchens and any other area in your home that has shower, bath, cooktop or other high humidity-generating items will require appropriate extractor fans that vent to the outdoors. We offer a Healthy Homes Assessment service will make sure there is sufficient ventilation in every living space with the right extractor fan in areas of high moisture.

Learn more about the Healthy Homes ventilation standard.

A dry and warm home is a healthy house

Insulation Homedale

Underfloor and ceiling insulation is mandatory for all rent homes from 1 July 2019. All landlords and property managers should make sure that the insulation meets this new standard. In certain situations, the an existing insulation on the ceiling or in the subfloor space may need to be topped up or replaced.

A well-insulated house can help control condensation and lessen the likelihood of mould and dampness, and also makes much easier to the household to keep the heat.

Insulation needs to meet the R-values for your area

The "R" stands for thermal resistance and it is a measurement of how well insulation resists heat flow. The more high the R-value, more effective the insulation.

• Zone 1 - Auckland & Northland - ceiling R 2.9 Underfloor R 1.3
• Zone 2 – The rest part of North Island except Taupo and the Central Plateau – ceiling R 2.9 and underfloor 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

See the full details of this Healthy Homes insulation quality.

Homedale Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Keeping your rental property safe from water damage isn’t only about the inside of the building; you have to ensure there is somewhere for rain, surface as well as groundwater to move and prevent it from getting into the building. When it is damp and moisture, it is usually those concerns that you aren’t aware of that can cause a lot of trouble that can cause the property to suffer and affecting the tenant’s well-being.

Rental properties must have efficient drainage to remove storm water, surface water and ground water. This includes an appropriate outfall or runoff. Making sure that water has a location to go, and that it doesn’t get sucked into structures is a crucial aspect of maintaining your property’s dry.

Alongside a drainage system to prevent moisture ingress, if your rental has an enclosed gap between your flooring and the ground, a ground water barrier must be installed if it is reasonably practicable to install it.

The ground-moisture barrier generally a sheet of polythene that is placed over the ground to prevent any moisture from the ground from getting into the structure. It also helps prevent any damage to your underfloor insulation.

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

Is your rental a Healthy Home?

Rental Property Home Assessments Homedale

Areas of rental properties that are impacted with The Healthy Homes Standard in Homedale include each:

• Living Rooms
• Bedrooms
• Dining Rooms
• Bathrooms
• Kitchens
• Laundry

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Homedale for Rental Properties

There are a myriad of concerns to look over when conducting the home evaluation to determine if your rental property meets the minimum requirements of the Healthy Homes Standards. A few examples are:

• Is the space under the floor well-insulated? Is there a ground water barrier in place?
• Does the ceiling insulation need topping up or replacing?
• Does the heat pump have sufficient capacity?
• Is there adequate drainage and the draught is stopped?
• Does the home has enough ventilation, including extractor fans?

The repercussions of not having an Healthy Home with regard to the Residential Tenancies Act and consequently being in the wrong of an tenant services ruling can have a significant impact for property owners and landlords. For specialist advice get in touch today and book your rental property home evaluation.