Healthy Homes Assessment Hongoeka

Rental Property Expert Advice

Healthy Homes Assessment Services

Did you be aware that the Healthy Homes Standards came into effect on the 1st of July 2021? The landlords are now required to make sure their Hongoeka rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of a renewed or new tenancy and all private rental properties are required to be fully certified by 1 July 2024.

The subjects covered in the Healthy Homes Standards are:

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

We can evaluate your rental property and determine whether it’s in compliance with the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts standards. After assessment, we’ll advise you or your property manager of any work needed to be completed. requirements to be completed and provide an evaluation report with all the information required for your tenancy contract’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Failure to comply with the requirements to comply with the Healthy Homes Standards is a breach in 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 plus additional healthier homes connected fines.

We’re fully independent assessors of rental property, we are completely qualified for both Healthy Homes and Homefit.

Call Now (04) 280 6777

Rental Property Healthy Homes Fines

Fines for Failing to Comply

From the 1st of July in 2021, if a new, renewed or varied tenancy is signed on a Hongoeka rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance items have to be taken care of inside of 90 days.

Since the 1st July of 2021, once a new, renewed or varied lease is entered into on the Hongoeka rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be taken care of by the end of 90 days.

Failure to adhere to each of Healthy Homes Standards within the expected timeframe can result in an amount of $7200. In addition, if the current Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance isn’t included within an updated, renewed, or revised tenancy contract, there could be an additional fine or violation fee.

Any tenant can ask for details about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they relate to the home they live in. If the property manager is unable to supply the necessary information within 21 days of receiving the request, they will receive an infringement letter and be fined up to $750.

Furthermore, there’s also a penalty approximately $900 for landlords and property managers who provide a false or incorrect Healthy Homes Compliance Statement or information. The person who is liable to pay this fine is the one who is identified on the tenancy agreement as the person who is who is letting the property, so it could be the landlord’s name or the company that manages the property.

All the information on the Statement of Compliance requirements to be up-to-date when the tenancy agreement is signed. It must be updated throughout the duration of the tenancy when any associated work has been completed.

It is also crucial to remember that landlords who own several rental properties can face more severe penalties for not complying. The harshest penalties are given for severe breaches. Landlords with more than six properties could be penalised up to $50,000, and as much as $100,000 in hearings.

In the end, a failure to adhere to your Healthy Homes requirements can hit your wallet and result in massive fines as well as having to continue to comply. Don’t put your rental at risk. property Contact us now and ask us to conduct a house evaluation performed for your rental property.

Check out the complete details of this law. Residential Tenancies Act landlords responsibilities.

Healthy homes matter

What are the reasons why Healthy Homes Compliance So Important?

Around 1 in 3 households rent homes in New Zealand and Hongoeka, and research indicates that rental houses are more likely to be colder, older, have less efficient heating and tend to be of poorer quality than owner occupied properties.

The damp, cold and mouldy homes can have negative health outcomes, especially for illnesses like colds, flu, asthma and cardiovascular issues. In addition, people who reported at least four key home quality issues often suffer from poor life satisfaction and lower well-being.

The improvement in the standard of Hongoeka rental property can help tenants enjoy better physical and mental health, and lessen the interruption to learning, work and daily life because of diseases. Your investment is also protected from mould, mildew and damp-related damage, which results in lower costs for maintenance in the long-term.

The Healthy Homes Standards are a set of specific and minimal requirements for heating, insulation Ventilation, Moisture ingress and Drainage, as well as Draught stopping in Hongoeka rental properties.

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

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Hongoeka

Draughts can lead to lower temperatures in homes. A humid home costs more to heat, resulting in wasted energy and resulting in higher bills.

If a draught is felt from unreasonable gaps or holes that it needs to be closed.

What are unreasonable gaps and holes?

If you can feel external air entering or an unobstructed draught coming from a gap or hole, then it is likely a crack or an opening that requirements sealing in some way. Cracks or gaps with large gaps must be sealed permanently. Cracks that are greater than 3mm and allow air to enter or exit from your home require to be sealed. For example, if the open fireplace isn’t being used, it can create draughts. This should be sealed from. Landlords and property managers are accountable for ensuring such draughts are eliminated as much as possible.

There is no need to block off holes or gaps which are part of the construction. For instance, small gaps around windows and doors could be required to allow movement of the building when the household warms and cools so that they are able to be shut and opened, rather instead of being stuck. We will inspect all windows and doors as part of an Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

Find the complete specifications of the Healthy Homes draught stopping requirements.

Proper heating is crucial for well-being homes

Heating Hongoeka

Rental properties in Hongoeka require a reliable source of heat that can heat the principal or the biggest living area to at minimum 18degC even on the coldest winter days. This is the minimum temperature indoors that is recommended by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical health and mental well-being.

The source of heating requirements to remain fixed (i.e., not portable), at least 1.5 kW of heating capacity, and meet the minimum capacity for heating required for the main living room. A Heating Assessment Tool may be used to check if your current fixed heater(s) are adequate or if you’ll require to ‘top up’ by adding a second heater. Open fires as well as unflued combustion heaters such as small portable LPG bottle heaters are not considered to be acceptable heating options for the Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating system you provide is an electric heater or heat source, it requirements to have the thermostat. This will help make the heating more reliable and efficient. For most homes, larger fixed heating devices such as wood burners, heat pumps pellet burners, flued gas heaters are needed. However, in some cases such as small apartments small apartments, a smaller electric fixed heater may suffice.

If your living space already has a fixed heating source such as the heat pump, it might require a top up in order to comply with the standards. Certain kinds of heaters aren’t able to be utilised to meet the standard as they are either costly, not cost-effective to run, and/or unsafe to run.

Check out the complete details on the Healthy Homes heating needs.

Ventilation Hongoeka

Each liveable space in a rental property must include at least one open window or exterior door to provide natural ventilation. Additionally, areas with high moisture spaces like kitchens and bathrooms should be equipped with an externally vented extractor fan to get rid of moisture.

The ventilation quality is all about understanding that dry air is much easier to heat, and that a well ventilated rental property is less likely to grow mould and damp.

Bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens and dining rooms are considered liveable areas. Connecting spaces such as the hallways are not living spaces and therefore are not need an opening window or door.

Each window, door or skylight needs to have the ability to open up to the outside, and stay closed, allowing to circulate fresh air as well as ventilation.

All kitchens and bathrooms, and any other area in your house that houses a bath, shower, cooktop or other high moisture-producing item will need suitable extractor fans that are vented to the outside. This Healthy Homes Assessment service will verify that there is enough ventilation in every living space with the right extractor fan in high moisture areas.

Learn more about the Healthy Homes ventilation standard.

A dry and warm house is an ideal home

Insulation Hongoeka

Underfloor and ceiling insulation is a requirement to all rental homes since July 1, 2019. All landlords and property managers have to make sure that the insulation meets current quality. In some cases, existing ceiling insulation or insulation in the sub floor space might need to be topped up or replaced.

A house that is well-insulated can reduce condensation and reduce the chances of dampness and mould, as well as making more easy to allow the household to keep heat.

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

The "R" is a symbol for thermal resistance and is a measure of how well the insulation withstands 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 – all of North Island except Taupo and the Central Plateau – ceiling R 2.9 and underfloor R 1.3
• Zone 3 - North Island Taupo, Central Plateau and the entire South Island – ceiling R 3.3 (underfloor R 1.3

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

Hongoeka Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Making sure your rental property is protected from dampness isn’t just about the interior of the building but you must make sure there is somewhere for rain, surface as well as groundwater to move, and prevent it from getting into the building. When it concerns damp and moisture it’s often those things that you aren’t aware of that can become a big problem and end up causing damage to your investment and harming your tenant’s health.

Rental properties need to have efficient drainage to get rid of floodwaters, surface water, and ground water. This includes the proper outfall or runoff. Making sure the water has a place to go, and it can’t linger underneath the structures is a crucial aspect of maintaining your property’s dry.

Alongside the drainage system that will prevent moisture from entering, if your rental has an enclosed gap between floorboards and the soil, a ground-water 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 block any moisture from the ground from rising into the structure. It also helps to prevent from causing damage to the flooring insulation.

Find out all the details of the Healthy Homes moisture ingress and drainage standard.

Is your rental a Healthy Home?

Rental Property Home Assessments Hongoeka

Areas of rental properties that are impacted with Health Homes Standards. Healthy Homes Standard in Hongoeka include each:

• Living Rooms
• Bedrooms
• Dining Rooms
• Bathroom
• Kitchen
• Laundry

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Hongoeka for Rental Properties

There are many things to check in a home inspection to determine whether your rental property meets the requirements of the Healthy Homes Standard. There are a few examples:

• Is the sub floor space well-insulated? Is there a ground moisture barrier in place?
• Is the ceiling insulation in need of topping up? require replenishment or replacement?
• Does the heat pump have sufficient capacity?
• Do you have enough drainage? the draught is stopped?
• Does the home have enough air circulation, including extractor fans?

The consequences of not having a Healthy home in relation to regulations under the Residential Tenancies Act and consequently getting on the wrong side of a Tenancy services ruling could be significant for property managers and landlords. For expert advice get in touch today to schedule your rental properties house assessment.