Healthy Homes Assessment Maymorn

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 ensure that their Maymorn rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of a new or renewed tenancy and all private rental properties must be completely in compliance by July 1st 2024.

The areas covered in the Healthy Homes Standards are:

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

We will assess your rental property to determine whether it satisfies the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts requirements. After the assessment, we will advise you or your property manager about any work which requirements to be completed, and provide an assessment report that includes all the information required for your tenancy contract’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Failure to comply with the requirements in the Healthy Homes Standards is a violation of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and any landlord found to not in compliance could face fines of as much as $7,200 and additional healthy homes associated fines.

Our company is fully independent assessors for rental properties, we are completely qualified to evaluate 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, when a new or renewed tenancy is signed on a Maymorn rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance items need to be taken care of by the end of 90 days.

As of 1st July 2021, if a new or renewed tenancy is signed on a Maymorn rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be taken care of within 90 days.

Failure to comply with any of the Healthy Homes Standards inside of the anticipated timeframe could result in penalties of up to $7200. In addition, if the current Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance is not incorporated in a new, renewed or revised tenancy agreement, there could be an additional fine or violation fee.

Every tenant is entitled to request details about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they are related to the house they reside in. If the landlord or the property manager doesn’t supply the required information within 21 days from receiving the request, they could receive an infringement notice and be fined up to $750.

In addition, there is also a fine of up to $900 for property owners or property managers who offer a false or misleading Healthy Homes Compliance Statement or information. The person who is responsible for this fine is the one who is named on the lease agreement as the person who is renting the property and it could be the name of the landlord or the property management company.

The information contained in the Compliance Statement needs to be up-to-date when the tenancy agreement is signed, and ideally it should be maintained through the tenancy period as associated work has been completed.

It’s also crucial to be aware that a landlord who have multiple rental properties may receive more severe penalties for not complying. The harshest penalties are given for serious breaches. Landlords with more than six properties could be penalised up to $50,000, or as high as $100,000 for hearing claims.

Clearly, failure to meet your Healthy Homes requirements can hit your bank account hard, and result in large fines in addition to having to continue to comply. Don’t take a chance with your rental property, contact us today and make arrangements to have an home assessment performed on your rental property.

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

Healthy homes are important

What are the reasons why Healthy Homes Compliance important?

About 1 in 3 households the property in New Zealand and Maymorn, and research has shown that these rental homes are likely to be older, colder, have less effective heating and tend to be lower quality than owner occupied properties.

Damp, mouldy and cold houses are linked to negative well-being outcomes, especially for diseases like colds and flu, asthma and heart diseases. Furthermore, people who have reported at least four major housing quality problems frequently have low life satisfaction and reduced mental health.

Enhancing the standard of Maymorn rental property will help tenants experience improved physical and mental health as well as lessen disruptions to their work, education and daily life due to illness. Your investment is also protected from mould, mildew and damp , which means less costs of maintenance in the long run.

The Healthy Homes Standard is a listing of minimum and specific standards for heating, insulation Ventilation, Moisture Ingress and Drainage, as well Draught Stopping in Maymorn rental properties.

Get started now and contact us about having a Maymorn Healthy Home assessment on your rental property today.

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Maymorn

Draughts increase the likelihood of low temperatures inside houses. A draughty house is more expensive to heat, meaning wasting energy and increased bills.

If a draft can be felt through gaps that are too large or holes that it needs to be closed.

What are unreasonable gaps and holes?

If you can feel external air coming in or a clear draught out of a hole or gap, then it is likely a crack or an opening that requirements sealing in any way. Cracks or gaps with large gaps must be stopped permanently. Cracks that are greater than 3mm and let air in or out into the home need to be sealed. For instance, if an open fireplace isn’t being used, it could cause draughts, and must be sealed from. Landlords and property managers are accountable for ensuring that such draughts are squelched as much as imaginable.

You don’t require to block off gaps or holes which are part of the building. For example, tiny gaps around windows and doors might be necessary to allow for movement within the building when the home gets warmer and cooler, in order to let them be opened and closed rather than being stuck. We will test all windows and doors in 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 crucial for healthy homes

Heating Maymorn

Rental properties in Maymorn require a reliable heating source that can warm the main or largest living area to at minimum 18 degrees Celsius, even on the winter coldest days. This is the minimum indoor temperature suggested by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical health and mental wellbeing.

The heating source needs to remain fixed (i.e., not portable) that is, at least 1.5 kW in heating capacity, and meet the minimum heating capacity needed to heat the living space in general. A Heating Assessment Tool could be used to determine if the current fix heater(s) are sufficient or whether you will need to "top-up" with an additional heater. Fires that are open and unflued heaters, such as mobile LPG bottle heaters aren’t considered acceptable heating options in The Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating that you offer is an electric heater or heat pump, it should have an thermostat. This will help make the heating more uniform and efficient. For most properties, larger fixed heating devices such as heat pumps, wood burners, pellet burners or flued gas heaters are needed. However, in some cases like apartments with small spaces, a smaller fixed electric heater might be enough.

If the living area already has a central heating source, such as an air conditioner, it might just need some additional energy to ensure it meets the requirements. Certain kinds of heaters cannot be utilised to meet the quality because they’re inefficient, unaffordable to operate and/or unsafe to run.

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

Ventilation Maymorn

Each liveable space in a rental home must have at least one opening window or exterior door to offer natural ventilation. In addition, humid areas like kitchens and bathrooms need to have an venting fan outside to eliminate moisture.

This ventilation quality is about recognising it is that dry air is much easier to heat, and that a well ventilated rental property is less likely to be a victim of damp and mould.

Bedrooms, living spaces, kitchens and dining rooms are all considered living spaces. Connecting spaces such as the hallway aren’t considered liveable and therefore are not need an opening window or door.

Every window, door or Skylight needs at least open to the outside while remaining fixed in an open position to allow ventilation and fresh air air flow.

The bathrooms in all kitchens as well as any other space in your property with a bath, shower, cooktop or other high moisture-producing item will require proper extractor fan systems that can be vented out to the outside. Our Healthy Homes Assessment service will verify that there is enough ventilation in every living space with the right extractor fan in areas of high moisture.

See the full details of the Healthy Homes ventilation quality.

A cozy dry house is an ideal house

Insulation Maymorn

Insulation for underfloor and ceilings is required in all rental houses as of July 1st, 2019. Property managers and landlords should make sure that the insulation is up to standards that are in line with the latest standard. In some instances, old ceiling insulation as well as insulation within the subfloor space may need to be topped up or replaced.

A well-insulated property will help to control condensation, and decrease the risk of dampness and mould, as well as making more easy for the home to hold heat.

Insulation needs to be in compliance with the R-values for your area

The "R" stands for thermal resistance, and is a measure of how well the insulation can withstand heat flow. The higher the R-value, the more effective the insulation.

• Zone 1 Zone 1 Auckland & Northland Ceiling R 2.9, underfloor R 1.3
• Zone 2 – all part of North Island except Taupo and the Central Plateau – ceiling R 2.9 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

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

Maymorn Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Protecting your rental property from dampness isn’t just about the inside of the building; you have to ensure there is somewhere for surface and ground water to go, and stop it from coming into the building. When it comes to moisture and damp it’s often the concerns you don’t notice that could be a huge problem and end up causing damages to your investment and affecting your tenant’s well-being.

Rental properties need to have effective drainage for the removal of storm water, surface water, and ground water. This includes the proper outfall or runoff. Making sure the water has a proper place to go, and also that it doesn’t get sucked into buildings is a vital aspect of maintaining your property’s dry.

In addition to an irrigation system to stop moisture from entering, if your apartment has an enclosed gap between your floor and the surface, a ground moisture barrier must be put in place when it’s reasonably practicable to do so.

Ground moisture barriers are generally a polythene sheet laid over the ground, to block any moisture that is present in the ground from rising into the structure. It also helps prevent from causing damage to the flooring insulation.

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

Is your rental a Healthy Home?

Rental Property Home Assessments Maymorn

Areas of rental properties that are impacted through The Healthy Homes Standard in Maymorn include each:

• Living Rooms
• Bedroom
• Dining Room
• Bathrooms
• Kitchen
• Laundry

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Maymorn for Rental Properties

There are numerous concerns to look over during a home inspection to determine whether your rental property is in compliance with the minimum requirements of the Healthy Homes Standards. The most common are:

• Are the floor spaces insulated and is a ground moisture barrier in place?
• Does the ceiling insulation need to be topped up or replaced?
• Do you think the heating system has sufficient capacity?
• Do you have enough drainage? stopping of draughts?
• Does the house has enough ventilation, including extractor fans?

The repercussions of not having a Healthy Home in accordance with The Residential Tenancies Act and consequently falling on the wrong side of a ruling on tenancy solutions ruling could be significant for landlords and property managers. For specialist advice, call today to schedule your rental properties house assessment.