Healthy Homes Assessment Ascot Park

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 now have to make sure that their Ascot Park rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of any new or renewed tenancy and all private rentals are required to be fully in compliance by July 1st 2024.

The areas covered by the Healthy Homes Standards are:

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

We will assess your rental property and determine whether it satisfies the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts standards. Following the assessment, we’ll advise you or your property manager about the tasks needed to be completed. requirements to be done and offer a report with all the information required for your Tenancy Agreement’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Failure to fulfill the requirements under the Healthy Homes Standards is a breach under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and any landlord found to not conforming to the standards could be held accountable for up to $7200 plus any additional healthy homes relevant fines.

Our company is fully independent assessors of rental property, we are completely certified for each of Healthy Homes and Homefit.

Call Now (04) 280 6779

Rental Property Healthy Homes Fines

Fines for Failing to Comply

As of 1st July 2021, if a new, renewed or varied contract is signed on an Ascot Park rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work 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 an Ascot Park rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be finished by the end of 90 days.

Failure to adhere to any of the Healthy Homes Standards inside of the anticipated timeframe could result in penalties of up to $7200. Furthermore, if a present Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance isn’t incorporated within a new, renewed or revised tenancy agreement, there could be an additional fine or violation fee.

Any tenant may request details about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they relate to the home they are living in. If the property manager does not supply the required information within 21 days from receiving the request, they could be issued an infringement notice and could be fined up to $750.

Additionally, there is also a penalty of as much as $900 for landlords and property managers who provide a false or inaccurate Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance or any other information. The person liable for this fine is the person who is listed on the tenancy agreement as the person who is renting the property It could also be the landlord’s name or the property management company.

The information contained in the Statement of Compliance requirements to be accurate before the tenancy agreement can be executed, and it should be kept updated during the entire tenancy, as associated work has been completed.

It’s also important to remember that a landlord who manage multiple rental properties may receive even higher fines for non-compliance. The highest penalties are given for the most serious breaches, and landlords with six or more properties can be penalised up to $50,000, or as high as $100,000 in hearings.

Clearly, failure to comply with compliance with Healthy Homes requirements can hit your pocket hard, resulting in significant fines and still being required to comply with the regulations. Don’t take a chance with your rental property call us now and ask us to conduct an home inspection performed on your rental property.

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

Healthy homes are important

What is the reason Healthy Homes Compliance so Important?

About 1 in 3 households the property in New Zealand and Ascot Park, and research shows us that these rental homes are likely to be colder, older, have less efficient heating, and generally have lower quality than the houses of owners.

Cold, damp and mouldy homes are linked to negative health outcomes, particularly for ailments like colds and asthma, as well as heart diseases. In addition, people who report at least four major issues with their housing often have low life satisfaction and reduced well-being.

The improvement in the quality of Ascot Park rental property can help tenants enjoy better mental and physical health and reduce the disruption to work, learning and daily life because of diseases. Your investment is also better protected from mould, mildew and damp damage, meaning less costs of 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, and Draught stopping in Ascot Park rental properties.

Contact us now to discuss the Ascot Park Healthy Home assessment on your rental property today.

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Ascot Park

Draughts increase the likelihood of lower temperatures in homes. A humid house is more expensive to heat, which means wasting energy and incurring higher costs.

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

What are unjustifiable gaps or holes?

If you can feel external air entering or an unobstructed draught coming from a gap or hole and you are able to feel it, it is most likely a gap or hole which requirements sealing in any way. Large gaps and cracks should be fixed permanently. Gaps greater than 3mm that let air into or out from the home require the sealing. For instance, if an open fireplace isn’t in use it may cause draughts and must be sealed off. Property managers and landlords are accountable for ensuring that draughts from the fireplace are removed in the maximum extent imaginable.

There is no require to block off gaps or holes that are part of the construction. For example, tiny gaps around doors and windows could be necessary to allow for movement of the structure when the home heats and cools, to allow them to be shut and opened, rather instead of being stuck. We will check the windows and doors during the Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

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

A good heating system is important to ensure healthy houses

Heating Ascot Park

Rental properties in Ascot Park should have a permanent source of heat that can warm the principal or the biggest living room to at least 18degC, even during the most coldest days of the year. This is the minimum indoor temperature recommended by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical well-being and mental outlook.

The heating source needs for it to be permanent (i.e., not portable) and at minimum 1.5 horsepower in capacity and have the minimum capacity for heating required to heat the living space in general. A Heating Assessment Tool may be used to determine whether the fixed heater(s) are adequate or whether you will need to top up by adding a second heater. Fires that are open and unflued heaters such as small portable LPG bottle heaters are not considered to be safe heating options in the Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating that you offer is electric heating or heat pump, it requirements to have an thermostat. This makes the heating more uniform and efficient. For most properties, larger fixed heating systems such as wood burners, heat pumps pellet burners, flued gas heaters are needed. In certain situations, like small apartment buildings an electric, fixed heater could be enough.

If your living space already has a permanent heating source such as a heat pump, then it might require an upgrade to meet the standards. Certain types of heaters cannot be used to comply with the quality because they’re not efficient, cost prohibitive to operate and/or unsafe to run.

Get the complete information to details on Healthy Homes heating needs.

Ventilation Ascot Park

Each living space within the rental property should contain at minimum one open doors or windows to offer natural ventilation. In addition, humid spaces like kitchens and bathrooms must have a suitable externally vented extractor to eliminate moisture.

The ventilation quality is all about recognising it is that dry air is more easy to heat and heat, and the property that is properly ventilated is less likely to be a victim of damp and mould.

Bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens and dining rooms are considered to be liveable spaces. Spaces that connect, such as the hallways are not liveable and therefore are not require an opening door or window.

Each door, window or skylight needs at least open to the outside while remaining fixed in an open position, allowing the circulation of fresh air and air flow.

All bathrooms and kitchens and every other room of your home with a bath, shower, cooktop or other high moisture generating item will need adequate extractor fans that vent to the outside. We offer a Healthy Homes Assessment service will check that there is adequate ventilation in each livable space that includes extractor fans that are suitable for areas that are high in moisture.

Find out all the details about this Healthy Homes ventilation standard.

A dry and warm house is an ideal home

Insulation Ascot Park

Insulation for underfloor and ceilings is a requirement on all rental houses as of July 1st, 2019. All landlords and property managers are required to make sure the insulation meets the new standard. In some cases, old ceiling insulation as well as insulation within the sub floor space might require to be topped up or replaced.

A well-insulated property can help control condensation and lower the chance of mould and dampness and also makes more easy for the home to retain heat.

Insulation requirements to meet the R-values of your area.

The "R" signifies thermal resistance, and it is a measurement of how well the insulation is able to resist heat flow. The greater the R-value, the more effective the insulation.

• Zone 1 - Auckland & Northland Ceiling R 2.9, underfloor R 1.3
• Zone 2 – the remainder of 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 below floor R 1.3

Learn more about the Healthy Homes insulation standard.

Ascot Park Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Protecting your rental property from water damage isn’t only about the interior of the building It’s about having to make sure there is somewhere for rain, surface and underground water to flow, and stop it from coming into the building. When it is about damp and water, it is frequently not apparent that it could be a huge problem and cause damage to your investment as well as affecting your tenant’s health.

Rental properties need to be equipped with effective drainage to get rid of the stormwater and surface waters, and ground water. This includes an appropriate outfall or runoff. Making sure that water has a proper place to go and that it can’t linger underneath the structures is an crucial aspect of maintaining your property’s dry.

Alongside a drainage system to avoid moisture ingress, if your property has an enclosed space between your flooring and the ground, a ground moisture barrier must be put in place when it is reasonably practicable to do so.

An underground moisture barrier generally a sheet of polythene that is placed over the ground, to block any moisture that is present in the ground from accumulating into the home. It also helps to prevent moisture damage to the underfloor 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 Ascot Park

Property rental areas that are affected by The Healthy Homes Standard in Ascot Park include each:

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

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Ascot Park for Rental Properties

There are a myriad of things to check during a home evaluation to determine if your rental property is in compliance with all the basic requirements of Healthy Homes Standards. There are a few examples:

• Does the subfloor space insulated and is a ground moisture barrier in place?
• Do you think the ceiling insulation need replacement or topping?
• Does the heat pump have sufficient capacity?
• Do you have enough drainage? stopping of draughts?
• Does the house have enough air circulation, including extractor fans?

The repercussions of not having the Healthy Home with regard to regulations under the Residential Tenancies Act and consequently being in the wrong of an Tenancy solutions ruling can have a significant impact for landlords and property managers. For expert advice get in touch now and schedule your rental properties house assessment.