Healthy Homes Assessment Alicetown

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 Alicetown 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 fully compliant by 1 July 2024.

The areas covered in the Healthy Homes Standards are:

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

We will evaluate your rental property to check whether it meets NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts requirements. After assessment, we’ll advise you or your property manager of the tasks that requirements to be completed and provide an evaluation report with all the information required for your Tenancy Agreement’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Failure to fulfill the requirements in the Healthy Homes Standards is a breach of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and any landlord found to not following the rules could be subject to fines of up to $7,200 plus additional healthier homes connected fines.

We are fully independent assessors of rental property, and are fully qualified for each of Healthy Homes and Homefit.

Call Now (04) 280 6779

Rental Property Healthy Homes Fines

Fines for Failing to Comply

Beginning on July 1st, 2021, when a brand new, renewed or varied tenancy is signed on an Alicetown rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance tasks have to be completed within 90 days.

Beginning on July 1st, 2021, when a new, renewed or varied Tenancy is signed for an Alicetown rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be completed inside of 90 days.

Failure to meet all of the Healthy Homes Standards by the end of the deadlines can result in a fine of up to $7200. In addition, if the present Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance is not included within an updated, renewed, or revised tenancy contract, there may be additional penalties or an infringement fee.

Every tenant is entitled to request information regarding the Healthy Homes Standard and how they relate to the home they are living in. If the landlord or property manager does not provide the required information within 21 days of having received the inquiry, they can be issued an infringement notice and be fined as high as $750.

Additionally, there is also a penalty as much as $900 for landlords or property managers that provide false or misleading Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance or other information. The person who is responsible for this fine is the one who is named on the tenancy agreement as being the person letting the property out It could also be the landlord’s name or the property management company.

All the information on the Statement of Compliance requirements to be correct at the time that the tenancy agreement is signed, and ideally it should be kept updated throughout the tenancy as any associated work has been completed.

It’s crucial to be aware that a landlord who have multiple rental properties may face even higher fines for non-compliance. The harshest penalties are given for the most serious violations. Those who have more than six properties could be fined up to $50,000, or as high as $100,000 for hearing claims.

If you fail to meet requirements of Healthy Homes requirements can hit your wallet with large fines in addition to having to continue to comply. Don’t risk your rental property Contact us now and arrange to have an home assessment done for 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 So Important?

Around 1 in 3 households rent from New Zealand and Alicetown, and research suggests that rental houses are more likely to be older, colder, have less efficient heating and tend to be lower quality than the homes of owners.

The damp, cold and mouldy houses are associated with negative health results, specifically for illnesses like colds, asthma, as well as cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, people who reported four or more major home quality issues often suffer from less satisfaction in their lives and lower psychological well-being.

The improvement in the standard of Alicetown rental property can allow tenants to experience better physical and mental health and minimise the disturbance to learning, work and living due to illnesses. Your investment is also better secured from mildew, mould and damp damages, which means lower maintenance costs over the long term.

The Healthy Homes Standard is a listing of minimum and specific standards for Heating, Insulation Ventilation and Ventilation and Drainage, as well as Draught Control within Alicetown rental properties.

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

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Alicetown

Draughts can lead to low temperatures inside houses. A humid house is more expensive to heat, which completed jobs in wasting money and energy.

If a draught could be felt from unreasonable gaps or holes the area requirements to be sealed.

What are unreasonable gaps and holes?

If you can feel external air flowing in or a clear draught out of a hole or gap and you are able to feel it, it is most likely a gap or crack that needs sealing in any way. Large gaps and cracks should be permanently stopped. Gaps greater than 3mm that let air in or out of your house need the sealing. For example, if an open fireplace isn’t used it may cause draughts and should be blocked off. Landlords and property managers are accountable for making sure that these draughts are stopped as much as imaginable.

There is no require to block holes or gaps that are part of the building. For instance, small gaps around windows and doors could be necessary to allow movement of the building when the home gets warmer and cooler, so that they can still be opened and closed rather than securing. We will inspect all doors and windows during our Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

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

A good heating system is important to ensure well-being houses

Heating Alicetown

Alicetown rental properties require a reliable heating source that can heat the 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 heating requirements to be fixed (i.e. not portable) with at least 1.5 kW of heating capacity, and meet the minimum heating capacity needed in the living area. A Heating Assessment Tool may be used to determine if your current installed heater(s) are adequate or if you’ll require to top up with a new heater. Open fires as well as unflued combustion heaters such as the portable LPG bottle heaters are not considered acceptable heating options for the Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating that you provide is an electric heater or heat source, then it must be equipped with the thermostat. This will help make the heating more reliable and efficient. For the majority of houses, bigger heaters that are fixed, such as heat pumps, wood burners, pellet burners or flued gas heaters are required. In some instances, like small apartment buildings, a smaller fixed electric heater may be sufficient.

If your living space is already equipped with a fixed heating source, such as an air conditioner, it may need some additional energy to be able to meet the standards. Certain kinds of heaters aren’t able to be used to achieve the quality since they’re either expensive, inefficient and/or unsafe to run.

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

Ventilation Alicetown

Each liveable space in a rental property has to include at least one open doors or windows to provide natural ventilation. Furthermore, moist areas such as kitchens and bathrooms must have a suitable externally vented extractor fan that can remove moisture.

It is the ventilation quality is all about understanding it is that dry air is easier to heat and the property that is properly ventilated is less likely to grow damp and mould.

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

Every window, door or skylight needs to be able open to the outside, and stay fixed in an open position in order to allow the circulation of fresh air and ventilation.

All kitchens and bathrooms, and any other area in your property with a bath, shower or cooktop, or any other humidity-generating items will need appropriate extractor fans that are vented to the outdoors. The Healthy Homes Assessment service will ensure that there is sufficient ventilation in each livable space, including suitable extractor fans in areas with high moisture.

Check out the complete details of this Healthy Homes ventilation standard.

A warm dry house is a healthy house

Insulation Alicetown

Insulation for underfloor and ceilings has been compulsory to all rental homes since 1 July 2019. All landlords and property managers are required to ensure that the insulation is up to this new standard. In some cases, an existing insulation on the ceiling or in the subfloor space may require to be filled with or replaced.

A house that is well-insulated will reduce the risk of condensation and lessen the likelihood of mould and damp, and also makes it easier for the house to retain the heat.

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

The "R" is a symbol for thermal resistance, and it is a measurement 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 area 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 the entire South Island – ceiling R 3.3 below floor R 1.3

Learn more about this Healthy Homes insulation standard.

Alicetown Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Making sure your rental property is protected from the effects of moisture isn’t just a matter of the interior of the building but you must make sure there is somewhere for surface and underground water to flow, and stop it from coming inside. When it comes to moisture and damp it is typically what you don’t see that could be a huge problem, causing damage to your investment as well as harming your tenant’s well-being.

Rental properties must have effective drainage for the removal of the stormwater and surface waters, and ground water, which includes the proper outfall or runoff. Making sure that water has a location to go and that it doesn’t sit beneath buildings is an essential part of making sure your property is dry.

In addition to an irrigation system to stop moisture from entering, if your rental is enclosed between floorboards and the soil, a ground-water barrier must be constructed if it’s reasonably practicable to do so.

Ground moisture barriers are generally an insulating sheet of polythene laid over the ground to prevent any moisture in the ground from rising into the home. It also assists in preventing any damage to your underfloor 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 Alicetown

Rental property areas affected to Health Homes Standard. Healthy Homes Standards in Alicetown include each:

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

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Alicetown for Rental Properties

There are many concerns to check when conducting the home review to determine if your rental property meets the minimum requirements of the Healthy Homes Standards. A few examples are:

• Is the sub floor space well-insulated? Is there a ground moisture barrier in place?
• Do you think the ceiling insulation need topping up or replacing?
• Does the heat pump have enough capacity?
• Do you have enough drainage? the draught is stopped?
• Does the home have adequate ventilation? This includes extractor fans?

The repercussions of not having the Healthy Home with regard to lawful Residential Tenancies Act and consequently being on the wrong side of the tenant services ruling can have a significant impact for landlords and property managers. For expert advice, call today and book your rental property house assessment.