Healthy Homes Assessment Maoribank

Rental Property Expert Advice

Healthy Homes Assessment Services

Did you be aware that the Healthy Homes Standards came into effect on the 1st July 2021? Landlords now have to make sure that their Maoribank rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of any renewal or new tenancy and all private rentals are required to be completely certified 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 standards. After assessing, we will advise you or your property manager about any work that requirements to be completed, and provide a report with all the necessary information to complete your tenancy agreement’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Failure to comply with the requirements in the Healthy Homes Standards is a violation in the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and landlords who are not in compliance could face fines of up to $7200 plus any additional healthy homes related fines.

Our company is completely independent assessors of rental properties, as well as fully certified to assess each of Healthy Homes and Homefit.

Call Now (04) 280 6779

Rental Property Healthy Homes Fines

Fines for Failing to Comply

From the 1st of July in 2021, once a new, renewed or varied contract is signed on a Maoribank rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work need to be taken care of within 90 days.

From the 1st of July in 2021, once a new or renewed lease is entered into on the Maoribank rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be taken care of within 90 days.

Failure to meet one of the Healthy Homes Standards by the end of the expected timeframe can result in an amount of $7200. Additionally, if a present Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance is not included in a new, renewed or revised tenancy agreement there may be additional penalties or an infringement fee.

Any tenant may request details regarding the Healthy Homes Standard and how they relate to the building they live in. If the landlord or property manager does not supply the required information within 21 days of being informed of the request, they could receive an infringement letter and be fined upto $750.

Furthermore, there’s also a penalty of approximately $900 for landlords and property managers who have provided a false or false Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance or other information. The person responsible for this fine is whoever is named on the lease agreement as being the person who is letting the property which could be the name of the landlord, or the company that manages the property.

The information contained in the Statement of Compliance requirements to be accurate at the time that the tenancy agreement is signed, and ideally it should be kept updated through the tenancy period as necessary work related to it’s finished.

It’s also important to remember that landlords who have multiple rental properties may face more severe penalties for not complying. The harshest penalties are given for severe violations. Those who have more than six properties could be penalised up to $50,000, and even as high as $100,000 in hearing claims.

If you fail to comply with compliance with Healthy Homes requirements can hit your pocket hard, and result in significant fines and still having to meet compliance. Do not risk your rental property, contact us today and make arrangements to have an house assessment performed for your rental property.

Get the full description of how to apply the Residential Tenancies Act landlords responsibilities.

Healthy homes matter

What are the reasons why Healthy Homes Compliance So Important?

Around 1 in 3 households rent homes in New Zealand and Maoribank, and research has shown that these rental homes tend to be colder, older, are not as effective heating, and generally are of lower quality than homes that are owned by the owner.

Cold, damp and mouldy homes are linked to negative well-being outcomes, particularly for illnesses like colds, flu, asthma and cardiovascular issues. Furthermore, people who report at least four key housing quality problems frequently have less satisfaction in their lives and lower psychological well-being.

Improve the standard of Maoribank rental property will allow tenants to enjoy improved mental and physical health, and lessen the interruption to learning, work and daily life because of health issues. Your investment will also be better protected from mildew, mould and damp damages, which means lower costs for maintenance in the long-term.

The Healthy Homes Standards are a list of specific and minimum requirements for heating, insulation Ventilation, Moisture ingress and Drainage, as well as Draught stopping for Maoribank rental properties.

Begin now by calling about having a Maoribank Healthy Home assessment on your rental property right now.

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Maoribank

Draughts are a major cause of less temperature in houses. A cold house is more expensive to heat, meaning wasting energy and increased bills.

If a draught is felt through gaps that are too large or holes or holes, it needs to be closed.

What are unreasonable gaps and holes?

If you can feel external air coming in or an unobstructed draught coming from a hole or gap that is, it’s likely to be a gap or hole which needs sealing in the way you can. Large gaps and cracks should be permanently stopped. The gaps that exceed 3mm that let air in or out of your house require the sealing. For example, if an open fireplace isn’t being used, it can create draughts. This must be sealed off. Property managers and landlords are responsible for ensuring that these draughts are stopped in the maximum extent imaginable.

You don’t need to block gaps or holes in the building. For instance, small gaps around windows and doors could be necessary to allow movement of the structure when the house gets warmer and cooler, so that they can still be shut and opened, rather than being stuck. We will examine the windows and doors as part of your Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

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

Adequate heaters are important to ensure well-being homes

Heating Maoribank

Rental properties in Maoribank need to have a stable heating source that can heat the living room to at least 18degC even on the coldest days of the year. This is the minimum indoor temperature recommended by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical health and mental wellbeing.

The source of heat requirements to be fixed (i.e. not portable) and at minimum 1.5 horsepower in capacity, and must meet the minimum required heating capacity for the main living room. A Heating Assessment Tool can be used to determine if the existing installed heater(s) are adequate or if you’ll require to ‘top up’ with a new heater. Open fires and unflued combustion heaters, such as small portable LPG bottle heaters aren’t considered to be safe heating options in those following the Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating system you offer is an electric heater or heat source, it must be equipped with an thermostat. This will help make the heating more uniform and efficient. For most houses, larger heaters that are fixed, such as heat pumps, wood burners pellet burners, flued gas heaters are required. In certain situations, like apartments with small spaces the smaller fixed electric heater may be sufficient.

If the living area already has a central heating source, such as an air conditioner, it might require an upgrade in order to comply with the standards. Certain kinds of heaters cannot be used to achieve the standard because they’re not efficient, cost prohibitive to operate and/or unhealthy to run.

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

Ventilation Maoribank

Each living space within the rental property should contain at minimum one open window or exterior door to provide natural ventilation. Additionally, areas with high moisture areas such as kitchens and bathrooms must have a suitable externally vented extractor fan that can get rid of moisture.

It is the ventilation quality is all about understanding it is that dry air is more easy to heat and that a property that is well ventilated is less likely to be a victim of mould and damp.

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

Every window, door or Skylight needs to be able to open up to the outside, and stay set in an opening position in order to allow ventilation and fresh air air flow.

The bathrooms in all kitchens and every other room of your house that houses shower, bath cooker or any other water-generating appliance will require suitable extractor fans that can be vented to the outside. Our Healthy Homes Assessment service will check that there is adequate ventilation in each livable space that includes extractor fans that are suitable in areas of high moisture.

See the full details of The Healthy Homes ventilation quality.

A dry and warm home is a healthy house

Insulation Maoribank

Insulation for underfloor and ceilings is mandatory for all rent houses from 1 July 2019. Property managers and landlords must make sure that the insulation is in line with standards that are in line with the latest quality. In some cases, an existing insulation on the ceiling or in the sub floor space may need to be added or replaced.

A properly insulated home can help control condensation, and decrease the risk of mould and damp, and it will make much easier to the household to keep heat.

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

The "R" is a symbol for thermal resistance and is a gauge of how well the insulation resists heat flow. The more R-value is higher, the better the insulation.

• Zone 1 - Auckland & Northland Ceiling R 2.9 Underfloor R 1.3
• Zone 2 – the remainder area 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 (underfloor R 1.3

Learn more about this Healthy Homes insulation quality.

Maoribank Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Protecting your rental property from the effects of moisture isn’t just a matter of the interior of the building; you have to make sure there is somewhere for surface, rain or ground water and to prevent it from getting inside. When it comes to moisture and damp it is typically those concerns that you aren’t aware of that can cause a lot of trouble and end up causing damages to your investment and affecting the tenant’s health.

Rental properties need to have effective drainage for the removal of floodwaters, surface water, and groundwater, with an appropriate runoff or outfall. Making sure the water has a location to go, and it doesn’t get sucked into structures is an important aspect of maintaining your property’s dry.

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

An underground moisture barrier usually a sheet of polythene that is placed over the ground, in order to block any moisture that is present in the ground from getting into the home. It also helps to prevent 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 Maoribank

The areas of rental property that are affected by the Healthy Homes Standard in Maoribank include each:

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

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Maoribank for Rental Properties

There are many things to be able to examine when conducting a house inspection to determine whether your rental property is in compliance with all the basic requirements of Healthy Homes Standards. There are a few examples:

• Does the subfloor space covered in insulation and is there a ground moisture barrier present?
• Is the ceiling insulation in require of topping up? require replacement or topping?
• Is the heater equipped with enough capacity?
• Are there enough drainage and draught-stopping?
• Does the house have adequate ventilation? This includes extractor fans?

The consequences of not having the Healthy Home with regard to The Residential Tenancies Act and consequently falling on the wrong side of a Tenancy services ruling can be extremely costly for property managers and landlords. For professional advice, call today and book your rental properties home assessment.