Healthy Homes Assessment Upper Hutt

Rental Property Expert Advice

Healthy Homes Assessment Services

Did you know that the Healthy Homes Standards came into effect on the 1st of July 2021? Landlords must make sure that their Upper Hutt 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 completely compliant by 1 July 2024.

The areas covered by the Healthy Homes Standards are:

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

We will evaluate the rental property you have in order to determine if it meets the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts requirements. After the assessment, we’ll advise you or your property manager of any work that needs to be done, and provide an evaluation report with all the details required for your tenancy agreement’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Inability to meet the standards in the Healthy Homes Standards is a breach under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and any landlord found to not complying may be liable for up to $7,200 plus additional healthier homes connected fines.

Our company is completely independent assessors of rental properties, in addition, we’re fully qualified to assess each of 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 contract is signed on an Upper Hutt rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work need to be finished within 90 days.

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

Inability to adhere to all of the Healthy Homes Standards by the end of the period of time expected can lead to an amount of $7200. Additionally, if a currently-in place Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance isn’t incorporated within an updated, renewed, or amended tenancy agreement there may be additional penalties or an infringement fee.

Any tenant can ask for details about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they relate to the building they live in. If the landlord or property manager is unable to supply the information requested within 21 days of having received the inquiry, they will be issued an infringement notice and be fined as high as $750.

In addition, there’s also a penalty of approximately $900 for property owners or property managers that provide false or inaccurate Healthy Homes Compliance Statement or other information. The person who is responsible to pay this fine is the one who is listed on the tenancy agreement as being the person renting the property and it could be the name of the landlord, or the property management company.

The information contained in the Statement of Compliance needs to be up-to-date at the time that the tenancy agreement is signed, and ideally it should be maintained through the tenancy period as necessary work related to it is finished.

It’s also crucial to keep in mind that a landlord with multiple rental properties may receive more severe penalties for not complying. The harshest penalties are given for severe violations, and landlords who own six or more properties could be fined up to $50,000, and as much as $100,000 in the case of hearing claims.

It is clear that failure to adhere to compliance with Healthy Homes requirements can hit your wallet hard, and result in large fines in addition to still having to meet compliance. Don’t put your rental at risk. property call us now and arrange to have a house evaluation performed on your rental property.

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

Healthy homes matter

Why is Healthy Homes Compliance So Important?

A majority of households the property in New Zealand and Upper Hutt, and research shows us that these rental homes are most likely to be colder, older and have less effective heating and have lower quality than the houses of owners.

The damp, cold and mouldy homes can have negative health outcomes, particularly illnesses such as colds and influenza, asthma, and cardiovascular conditions. Furthermore, people who have reported four or more major issues with their housing often have less satisfaction in their lives and lower mental wellbeing.

Enhancing the quality of Upper Hutt rental property will help tenants experience improved mental and physical health and minimise the disruptions to their work, education and living due to illnesses. Your investment is also better protected from mould, mildew and damp-related damage, which completed jobs in lower costs for maintenance in the long run.

The Healthy Homes Standards are a list of specific and minimum standards for Heating, Insulation Ventilation, Moisture ingress and Drainage, as well Draught stopping for Upper Hutt rental properties.

Start now and call about having a Upper Hutt Healthy Home assessment on your rental property today.

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Upper Hutt

Draughts increase the likelihood of dropping temperatures within homes. A cold house costs more to heat, resulting in wasted energy and increased bills.

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

What are unreasonable gaps or holes?

If you are able to feel external air getting in, or see an unobstructed draught coming from a crack or a gap that is, it is most likely a gap or an opening that requirements sealing in somehow. Cracks or gaps with large gaps must be sealed permanently. The gaps that exceed 3mm that let air into or out from your house require the sealing. For example, if the open fireplace is not in use, it can create draughts. This should be shut from. Property managers and landlords are accountable for making sure that such draughts are squelched as much as possible.

You don’t need to cover up holes or gaps that are part of the building. For instance, small gaps around windows and doors could be necessary to allow for movement within the structure when the home heats and cools, so that they can still be shut and opened, rather than sticking. We will inspect the windows and doors during our Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

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

Adequate heaters are important for well-being houses

Heating Upper Hutt

Rental properties in Upper Hutt must have a fixed source of heat that can warm the main or largest living room to at least 18 degrees Celsius, even on the winter coldest days. This is the minimum temperature indoors suggested by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical well-being as well as their mental health.

The source of heat requirements to be fixed (i.e., not portable), at least 1.5 kW in heating capacity and have the minimum requirement for heat capacity in the living area. A Heating Assessment Tool may be used to determine if the existing fixed heater(s) are sufficient or whether you will require to "top-up" with an additional heater. Open fires and unflued combustion heaters, such as small portable LPG bottle heaters aren’t considered to be safe heating options under those following the Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating you provide is electric heating or heat pump, it requirements to have a thermostat. This will help make the heating more reliable and efficient. In most houses, larger heaters that are fixed, such as wood burners, heat pumps, pellet burners or flued gas heaters are necessary. However, in certain instances like apartments with small spaces the smaller fixed electric heater could be enough.

If the main living room already has a fixed heating source such as the heat pump, it may need a top up in order to comply with the standards. Some types of heaters can’t be used to achieve the standard as they are either not effective, cost prohibitive to operate or are unsafe to operate.

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

Ventilation Upper Hutt

Every living space in a rental property has to include at least one open window or exterior door to provide natural airflow. In addition, humid spaces like kitchens and bathrooms need to have an externally vented extractor to remove moisture.

This ventilation quality is about recognising that the dry atmosphere is much easier to heat, and that a property that is well ventilated is less likely to develop damp and mould.

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

Each window, door or skylight needs for them to be in a position to open to the outside, and stay at an open angle, allowing to circulate fresh air as well as ventilation.

The bathrooms in all kitchens and any other room in your property with shower, bath, cooktop or other high water-generating appliance will require suitable extractor fans that can be vented to the outside. We offer a Healthy Homes Assessment service will ensure that there is sufficient ventilation in each livable space that includes extractor fans that are suitable for areas that are high in moisture.

Check out the complete details of the Healthy Homes ventilation quality.

A comfortable, dry home is a healthy house

Insulation Upper Hutt

Insulation for underfloor and ceilings has been compulsory for all rent houses since 1 July 2019. All landlords and property managers should ensure the insulation meets this new quality. In some instances, current ceiling insulation, or the insulation of the sub floor space may require to be replaced or replaced.

A well-insulated property can help control condensation and reduce the chances of dampness and mould, and it will make more easy to the household to hold warmth.

Insulation requirements to be in compliance with the R-values of your area.

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

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

Learn more about the Healthy Homes insulation standard.

Upper Hutt Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Making sure your rental property is protected from water damage isn’t only about what’s inside 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 is about damp and water, it is often the things you don’t notice that could become a major issue and cause damages to your investment and harming your tenant’s well-being.

Rental properties need to have efficient drainage to get rid of rainwater, storm water, and ground water, including an appropriate outfall or runoff. Making sure the water has a proper place to go, and it isn’t allowed to remain beneath structures is an important aspect of keeping your property dry.

Alongside a drainage system to avoid the ingress of moisture, if your rental is enclosed between floorboards and the ground, a ground moisture barrier should be put in place if it is reasonably practicable to install it.

An underground moisture barrier typically an insulating sheet of polythene laid over the ground to stop any moisture present in the ground from getting into the property. It also helps prevent from causing damage to the flooring 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 Upper Hutt

Areas of rental properties that are impacted with the Healthy Homes Standard in Upper Hutt include each:

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

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Upper Hutt for Rental Properties

There are a myriad of things to check in an home assessment to see if your rental property meets all the basic requirements of Healthy Homes Standard. There are a few examples:

• Are the floor spaces protected and does it have a water barrier in place?
• Do you think the ceiling insulation need replenishment or replacement?
• Is the heater equipped with enough capacity?
• Does the water flow properly and is there stopping of draughts?
• Does the home has enough ventilation, including extractor fans?

The repercussions of not having the Healthy Home with regard to regulations under the Residential Tenancies Act and consequently falling on the wrong side of an ruling on tenancy solutions ruling can be significant for property owners and landlords. For professional advice get in touch today to book your rental property home assessment.