Healthy Homes Assessment Oriental Bay

Rental Property Expert Advice

Healthy Homes Assessment Services

Did you be aware that the Healthy Homes Standards came into effect on the 1st of July 2021? Landlords now have to ensure their Oriental Bay rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of the start of any renewed or new tenancy and all private rental properties must be completely certified by 1 July 2024.

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

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

We will assess your rental property to check whether it meets NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts standards. After the assessment, we’ll advise you or your property manager of any tasks needed to be completed. needs to be done, and provide the report with all the information needed for your Tenancy Agreement’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Failure to comply with the requirements of the Healthy Homes Standards is a violation of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and any landlord found to not in compliance could face fines of up to $7,200 plus additional healthy homes relevant fines.

We are completely independent assessors of rental properties as well as completely certified to evaluate both 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 or renewed tenancy is signed on an Oriental Bay rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance items must be finished by the end of 90 days.

From the 1st of July in 2021, if a new, renewed or varied Tenancy is signed for the Oriental Bay rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be taken care of inside of 90 days.

Failure to meet all of the Healthy Homes Standards inside of the anticipated timeframe could result in the possibility of a fine up to $7200. Additionally, if a existing Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance isn’t included in an updated, renewed, or amended tenancy agreement there could be additional penalties or an infringement fee.

Any tenant may request details about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they are related to the house they are living in. If the landlord or property manager is unable to provide the information requested within 21 days of receiving the request, they can be issued an infringement notice and be fined up to $750.

Furthermore, there’s also a fine of as much as $900 for landlords or property managers that provide false or false Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance or any other information. The person who is responsible for this fine is whoever is identified on the tenancy agreement as being the person letting the property out and it could be the name of the landlord, or the company that manages the property.

All information in the Statement of Compliance requirements to be current when the tenancy contract is signed, and ideally it should be kept updated throughout the duration of the tenancy when any necessary work related to it is finished.

It’s also important to remember that landlords with multiple rental properties may receive more severe penalties for not complying. The harshest penalties are given for severe breaches, and landlords with at least six rental properties could be fined up to $50,000 and as high as $100,000 in hearing claims.

If you fail to adhere to your Healthy Homes requirements can hit your wallet hard, with significant fines and continuing to be required to comply with the requirements. Don’t take a chance with your rental property, contact us today and request an home assessment performed for your rental property.

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

Healthy homes are important

Why is Healthy Homes Compliance so important?

Around 1 in 3 households from New Zealand and Oriental Bay, and research suggests that rental homes are more likely to be colder, older, are not as efficient heating and tend to be lower standard than those owned by owners.

The damp, cold and mouldy homes are associated with negative health outcomes, particularly diseases like colds and asthma, as well as cardiovascular issues. In addition, people who have reported at least four major issues with their housing often have less satisfaction in their lives and lower mental wellbeing.

Enhancing the quality of Oriental Bay rental property will allow tenants to enjoy improved physical and mental health and reduce the disruptions to their work, education and daily life because of illness. Your investment will also be better protected from mould, mildew and damp damage, meaning less maintenance costs over the long term.

The Healthy Homes Standard is a set of specific and minimal standards for heating, insulation Ventilation, Moisture ingress and Drainage, as well as Draught stopping in Oriental Bay rental properties.

Begin now by calling about receiving a Oriental Bay Healthy Home assessment on your rental property now.

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Oriental Bay

Draughts increase the likelihood of less temperature in houses. A draughty home is more expensive to heat, which results in wasting energy and incurring higher costs.

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

What are unreasonable gaps or holes?

If you can feel external air coming in or an unobstructed draught coming from a crack or a gap that is, it’s most likely a gap or crack that needs sealing in some way. Cracks or gaps with large gaps must be permanently stopped. Cracks that are greater than 3mm and let air into or out from the home need sealing. In the case of an open fireplace isn’t in use it can create draughts. This must be sealed from. Landlords and property managers are responsible for making sure that these draughts are stopped whenever imaginable.

You don’t require to block up intentional gaps or holes in the construction. For instance, small gaps around windows and doors may be required to allow for movement within the building as the house is heated and cools to allow them to be closed and opened instead of than sticking. We will examine all windows and doors in an Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

See the full details of the Healthy Homes draught stopping requirements.

Adequate heaters are crucial to ensure well-being homes

Heating Oriental Bay

Rental properties in Oriental Bay need to have a stable source of heating that can heat the main or largest living space to a minimum of 18 degrees Celsius, even on the coldest days of the year. This is the minimum temperature indoors suggested by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical health and mental outlook.

The source of heating needs to be fixed (i.e. not portable), at least 1.5 kW of heating capacity, and it must have the minimum required heating capacity to heat the living space in general. A Heating Assessment Tool could be used to determine if the fix heater(s) are sufficient or if you’ll require to ‘top up’ with an additional heater. Fires that are open and unflued heaters like the portable LPG bottle heaters aren’t considered to be suitable heating options in those following the Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating system you provide is an electric heater or heat source, then it must include an thermostat. This will make your heating more consistent and efficient. For most houses, larger fixed heating systems such as wood burners, heat pumps pellet burners, flued gas heaters are needed. In some instances, like small apartments an electric, fixed heater could be enough.

If the living area already has a central heating source like the heat pump, it could require a top up to ensure it meets the requirements. Certain kinds of heaters aren’t able to be utilised to meet the standard because they’re not effective, cost prohibitive to operate or are unsafe to operate.

See the full details regarding the Healthy Homes heating requirements.

Ventilation Oriental Bay

Every living space of the rental property should include at least one open doors or windows to offer natural ventilation. In addition, humid areas such as kitchens and bathrooms must have a suitable venting fan outside to take moisture away.

The ventilation standard is all about acknowledging it is that dried air can be much easier to heat and the property that is properly ventilated will be less prone to developing 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 living spaces and therefore do not require an opening window or door.

Every window, door or the skylight needs to have the ability of opening to the outside, and stay set in an opening position to allow ventilation and fresh air air flow.

The bathrooms in all kitchens and every other room of your property with shower, bath, cooktop or other high moisture generating item will require appropriate extractor fans that are vented towards the outside. Our Healthy Homes Assessment service will verify that there is enough ventilation in every living space and will also check for the proper extractor fans for areas that are high in moisture.

Learn more about this Healthy Homes ventilation quality.

A warm dry house is an ideal house

Insulation Oriental Bay

Insulation for underfloor and ceilings has been compulsory for all rent houses since July 1, 2019. All landlords and property managers should make sure that the insulation is up to the new standard. In some instances, old ceiling insulation as well as insulation within the subfloor space might need to be replaced or replaced.

A well-insulated property can help control condensation and lessen the likelihood of mould and damp, and will also make much easier to the home to keep the heat.

Insulation requirements to be in compliance with the R-values that are appropriate for your region.

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

• Zone 1 Zone 1 Auckland & Northland Ceiling R 2.9 Underfloor R 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 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 quality.

Oriental Bay Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Keeping your rental property safe from water damage isn’t only about the inside of the building it’s also about the outside. You must ensure there is somewhere for surface, rain as well as groundwater to move and to prevent it from getting into the building. When it comes to moisture and damp it’s usually what you don’t see that can become a big problem that can cause the property to suffer and harming the tenant’s health.

Rental properties should be equipped with effective drainage to eliminate the stormwater and surface waters and ground water. This includes an appropriate runoff or outfall. Making sure that water has a place to go, and that it isn’t allowed to remain beneath structures is an important aspect of making sure your property is dry.

In addition to the drainage system that will prevent moisture ingress, if your apartment has an enclosed gap between floorboards and the surface, a ground moisture barrier must be put in place when it’s reasonably practicable to do so.

Ground moisture barriers are usually an insulating sheet of polythene laid over the ground to stop any moisture present in the ground from accumulating into the structure. It also helps prevent water damage to the floor 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 Oriental Bay

Areas of rental properties that are impacted to Health Homes Standards. Healthy Homes Standards in Oriental Bay include each:

• Living Room
• Bedroom
• Dining Room
• Bathrooms
• Kitchen
• Laundry

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Oriental Bay for Rental Properties

There are a myriad of concerns to be able to examine in the house inspection to determine whether your rental property is in compliance with the requirements of the 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? need to be topped up or replaced?
• Does the heat pump have enough capacity?
• Are there enough drainage and draught stopping?
• Does the house have adequate ventilation? This includes extractor fans?

The repercussions of not having the Healthy home in relation to the Residential Tenancies Act and consequently getting on the wrong side of a tenant solutions ruling can have a significant impact for landlords and property managers. For specialist assistance, get in touch today to book your rental properties home assessment.