Healthy Homes Assessment Waitangirua

Rental Property Expert Advice

Healthy Homes Assessment Services

Did you know that the Healthy Homes Standards came into effective on July 1st, 2021? Landlords now have to make sure their Waitangirua rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of the start of any renewed or new tenancy and all private rentals are required to be fully in compliance by July 1st 2024.

The areas that are covered by the Healthy Homes Standards are:

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

We will evaluate your rental property to check whether it satisfies the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts standards. After the assessment, we’ll advise you or your property manager about any tasks which requirements to be done and offer an assessment report that includes all the necessary information for your Tenancy Agreement’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Inability to meet the standards to comply with the Healthy Homes Standards is a breach in the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and any landlord found to not in compliance could face fines of as much as $7,200 and additional healthier homes related fines.

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

Call Now (04) 280 6777

Rental Property Healthy Homes Fines

Fines for Failing to Comply

Since the 1st July of 2021, when a new or renewed tenancy is signed on a Waitangirua rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance tasks need to be completed within 90 days.

From the 1st of July in 2021, when a brand new or renewed lease is entered into on a Waitangirua rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be finished inside of 90 days.

Failure to comply with any of the Healthy Homes Standards by the end of the expected timeframe can result in an amount of $7200. Additionally, if the most existing Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance isn’t incorporated within the renewal, new or revised tenancy contract, there could be an additional fine or violation fee.

Any tenant may request information about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they relate to the home they live in. If the property manager fails to provide the required information within 21 days from being informed of the request, they may receive an infringement notification and be fined upto $750.

Furthermore, there’s also a fine of as much as $900 for property owners or property managers who have provided a false or incorrect Healthy Homes Compliance Statement or other information. The person liable to pay this fine is the one who is named on the lease agreement as being the person who is letting the property and it could be the landlord’s name 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 completed, and must be updated during the entire tenancy, as necessary work related to it is finished.

It is also crucial to remember that landlords who have multiple rental properties could face additional fines for non-compliance. The harshest penalties are handed down for serious breaches, and landlords with six or more properties can be fined as high as $50,000, and even as high as $100,000 for hearing claims.

In the end, a failure to comply with your Healthy Homes requirements can hit your pocket resulting in huge fines, in addition to still having to meet compliance. Don’t put your rental at risk. property call us now and make arrangements to have an home assessment done on your rental property.

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

Healthy homes matter

Why is Healthy Homes Compliance so Important?

One in three households rent from New Zealand and Waitangirua, and research has shown that these rental houses are most likely to be colder, older, have less effective heating and are of lower quality than owner occupied properties.

The damp, cold and mouldy homes are linked to negative well-being outcomes, especially for illnesses such as colds and flu, asthma and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, people who experience at least four key home quality issues often suffer from poor life satisfaction and lower mental wellbeing.

Improving the standard of Waitangirua rental property will allow tenants to enjoy improved mental and physical health and reduce the disruption to work, learning and daily life due to health issues. Your investment is also better safeguarded from mildew, mould and damp damages, which means lower maintenance costs in the long run.

The Healthy Homes Standards are a list of the specific and minimum standards for heating, insulation Ventilation and Ventilation and Drainage, as well Draught stopping for Waitangirua rental properties.

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

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Waitangirua

Draughts are a major cause of dropping temperatures within households. A draughty house costs more to heat, which completed jobs in wasting energy and increased bills.

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

What are unreasonable gaps and holes?

If you can feel external air getting in, or see the air is clear from a hole or gap and you are able to feel it, it is probably a gap or crack that requirements sealing in any way. Large cracks and gaps should be permanently stopped. Any gaps greater than 3mm that allow air in or out from the home require the sealing. In the case of an open fireplace isn’t in use it can cause draughts and should be sealed from. Landlords and property managers are accountable for ensuring that such draughts are squelched as much as possible.

There is no require to block holes or gaps in the construction. For instance, small gaps around windows and doors could be required to allow for movement within the building when the household heats and cools, to allow them to be shut and opened, rather than sticking. We will examine the windows and doors during an Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

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

Adequate heaters are crucial to ensure healthy houses

Heating Waitangirua

Waitangirua rental properties must have a fixed source of heat which can warm the largest or main living space to at least 18degC, even during the most coldest days of the year. This is the recommended minimum indoor temperature suggested by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical well-being and mental well-being.

The source of heating requirements to remain fixed (i.e., not portable) with at least 1.5 Kilowatts in heating capacity and have the minimum requirement for heat capacity in the living area. A Heating Assessment Tool can be used to determine whether the permanent heater(s) are adequate or whether you will require to ‘top up’ with a new heater. Open fires as well as unflued combustion heaters, such as small portable LPG bottle heaters are not considered to be suitable heating options for Healthy Homes Standard. Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating you provide is electric heating or heat pump, then it must be equipped with a thermostat. This will make the heating more reliable and effective. For most homes, larger fixed heating devices such as wood burners, heat pumps pellet burners, flued gas heaters are needed. In certain situations, like small apartments, a smaller fixed electric heater may be sufficient.

If the living area is already equipped with a fixed heating source, like the heat pump, it might require an upgrade to ensure it meets the requirements. Certain kinds of heaters aren’t able to be used to meet the standard as they are either inefficient, unaffordable to operate and/or unsafe to run.

Find the complete specifications on the Healthy Homes heating needs.

Ventilation Waitangirua

Every living space in a rental property must include at least one open windows or an exterior door to offer natural airflow. In addition, high moisture areas such as kitchens or bathrooms must have a suitable externally vented extractor to get rid of moisture.

The ventilation standard is about recognising how dry air is much easier to heat and that an apartment that is well-ventilated is less likely to develop mould and damp.

Living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and dining areas are considered liveable areas. Connecting spaces such as the hallways are not liveable and don’t need an opening door or window.

Every window, door or Skylight needs to be able to open to the outside, but remain at an open angle to allow ventilation and fresh air air flow.

Bathrooms, kitchens, and every other room of your home that has a bath, shower and cooktop or another water-generating appliance will need appropriate extractor fans that vent to the outside. This Healthy Homes Assessment service will ensure that there is sufficient ventilation in every living space that includes extractor fans that are suitable for areas that are high in moisture.

Learn more about this Healthy Homes ventilation standard.

A warm dry home is an ideal house

Insulation Waitangirua

Insulation for underfloor and ceilings has been compulsory to all rental homes as of July 1st, 2019. Property managers and landlords are required to make sure that the insulation is up to this new standard. In certain situations, the old ceiling insulation as well as insulation within the sub floor space might require to be added or replaced.

A house that is well-insulated can help control condensation and reduce the chances of dampness and mould, and will also make it easier for the home to keep the heat.

Insulation needs to meet the R-values required for your area

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

• Zone 1 - Auckland & Northland - ceiling R 2.9, underfloor R 1.3
• Zone 2 – the rest 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

Learn more about this Healthy Homes insulation standard.

Waitangirua Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Making sure your rental property is protected from dampness isn’t just about the inside of the building it is also about the outside. You must make sure there is somewhere for surface as well as groundwater to move and stop it from coming inside. When it comes to moisture and damp it is often what you don’t see that can cause a lot of trouble and end up causing damages to your investment and harming the tenant’s health.

Rental properties should have efficient drainage to remove the stormwater and surface waters, and ground water, including an appropriate runoff or outfall. Making sure that water is able to go and that it isn’t allowed to remain beneath buildings is an essential part of keeping your property dry.

Alongside a drainage system to prevent the ingress of moisture, if your property has an enclosed space between the floor and surface, a ground moisture barrier must be put in place when it’s reasonably practicable to install it.

The ground-moisture barrier generally made of polythene and is laid on top of the ground, to block any moisture from the ground from rising into the structure. It also assists in preventing moisture damage to the underfloor insulation.

See the full details of this Healthy Homes moisture ingress and drainage standard.

Is your rental a Healthy Home?

Rental Property Home Assessments Waitangirua

Areas of rental properties that are impacted by Healthy Homes Standard. Healthy Homes Standards in Waitangirua include each:

• Living Rooms
• Bedrooms
• Dining Rooms
• Bathrooms
• Kitchen
• Laundry

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Waitangirua for Rental Properties

There are a myriad of concerns you should look for in a house evaluation to determine if your rental property is in compliance with the minimum requirements of the Healthy Homes Standard. There are a few examples:

• Does the subfloor space well-insulated? Is there a ground water barrier in place?
• Do you think the ceiling insulation require replacement or topping?
• Can the unit heat up 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 with regard to the Residential Tenancies Act and consequently getting on the wrong side of an tenant services ruling could be significant for landlords and property managers. For specialist guidance, contact us today to schedule your rental property house evaluation.