Healthy Homes Assessment Rongotai

Rental Property Expert Advice

Healthy Homes Assessment Services

Did you know that the Healthy Homes Standards came into effective on July 1st, 2021? The landlords are now required to ensure their Rongotai rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of a renewed or new tenancy and all private rentals must be completely in compliance by July 1st 2024.

The subjects covered in the Healthy Homes Standards are:

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

We can assess your rental property and determine if it meets the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts standards. Following the assessment, we will advise you or your property manager of the work needed to be completed. needs to be completed and offer a report with all the necessary information for your tenancy agreement’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Inability to meet the standards in the Healthy Homes Standards is a breach in the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and any landlord who is found to be not complying may be liable for up to $7200 plus any additional healthy homes relevant fines.

We are completely independent assessors of rental properties, and 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, once a new, renewed or varied tenancy is signed on a Rongotai rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work need to be finished within 90 days.

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

Failure to comply with one of the Healthy Homes Standards by the end of the deadlines can result in penalties of up to $7200. Additionally, if the most existing Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance is not incorporated within the renewal, new or revised tenancy agreement there could be additional penalties or an infringement fee.

Every tenant is entitled to request details about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they relate to the home they are living in. If the property manager does not provide the required information within 21 days from having received the inquiry, they can receive an infringement letter and be fined up to $750.

In addition, there’s an additional 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 responsible for this fine is whoever is listed on the tenancy agreement as being the person letting the property out which could be the landlord’s name or the company that manages the property.

The information contained in the Compliance Statement requirements to be current when the tenancy agreement is signed, and ideally it is updated throughout the duration of the tenancy when any relevant work gets completed.

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

Clearly, failure to comply with compliance with Healthy Homes requirements can hit your wallet hard, and result in significant fines and still having to meet compliance. Don’t put your rental at risk. property Call us today and make arrangements to have a house inspection performed on your rental property.

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

Healthy homes matter

Why is Healthy Homes Compliance important?

One in three households the property in New Zealand and Rongotai, and research suggests that rental houses tend to be colder, older and are not as efficient heating and have lower quality than owner occupied properties.

Damp, mouldy and cold homes are linked to negative health outcomes, especially for diseases like colds and flu, asthma and cardiovascular conditions. In addition, people who experience four or more key house quality problems often experience poor life satisfaction and lower mental wellbeing.

Improving the quality of Rongotai rental property can allow tenants to experience better mental and physical health and minimise the disturbance to learning, work and daily life due to health issues. Your investment is also better secured from mildew, mould and damp-related damage, which completed jobs in lower costs for maintenance over the long term.

The Healthy Homes Standard is a list of the specific and minimum standards for Heating, Insulation Ventilation, Moisture ingress and Drainage, as well as Draught stopping on Rongotai rental properties.

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

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Rongotai

Draughts may lead to low temperatures inside houses. A draughty home is more expensive to heat, resulting in wasted energy and increased bills.

If a draught could be felt from unreasonable gaps or holes or holes, it needs to be closed.

What are unreasonable gaps or holes?

If you are able to feel external air entering or a clear draught from a gap or hole that is, it’s most likely a gap or hole which requirements sealing in the way you can. Cracks or gaps with large gaps must be permanently stopped. Cracks that are greater than 3mm and allow air to enter or exit from the house require sealing. In the case of an open fireplace isn’t in use it can cause draughts and must be sealed from. Property managers and landlords are responsible for making sure such draughts are eliminated as much as imaginable.

There is no need to cover up gaps or holes which are part of the building. For example, tiny gaps around windows and doors may be required to allow for movement within the structure when the home heats and cools, so that they can still be shut and opened, rather than being stuck. We will test all doors and windows during an Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

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

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

Heating Rongotai

Rongotai rental properties should have a permanent heating source that is able to heat the principal or the biggest living area to at minimum 18 degrees Celsius, even on the winter coldest days. This is the recommended minimum indoor temperature suggested by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical well-being and mental well-being.

The heating source needs for it to be permanent (i.e., not portable) and at least 1.5 kW in heating capacity, and must meet the minimum capacity for heating required for the main living space. A Heating Assessment Tool could be used to check if the existing installed heater(s) are sufficient or if you’ll require to ‘top up’ with a new heater. Unflued combustion and open fire heaters, such as the portable LPG bottle heaters are not considered to be safe heating options for those following the Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating system you provide is electric heating or heat pump, then it must include an thermostat. This will make your heating more consistent and effective. For the majority of houses, bigger heaters that are fixed, such as wood burners, heat pumps, pellet burners or flued gas heaters are required. However, in certain instances like apartments with small spaces an electric, fixed heater could be enough.

If your living space is already equipped with a fixed heating source, like heat pumps, it might need an upgrade to meet the standards. Certain kinds of heaters aren’t able to be used to meet the quality as they are either inefficient, unaffordable to operate and/or unhealthy to run.

Find the complete specifications for the Healthy Homes heating needs.

Ventilation Rongotai

Each liveable space in a rental property has to have at least one opening doors or windows to provide natural airflow. Furthermore, moist areas like kitchens and bathrooms need to have an externally vented extractor fan that can take moisture away.

It is the ventilation quality is all about acknowledging how dry air is more easy to heat and an apartment that is well-ventilated is less likely to be a victim of mould and damp.

Bedrooms, living rooms dining rooms, and kitchens are all considered living spaces. Connecting spaces such as the hallway aren’t living spaces and therefore don’t need an opening door or window.

Each window, door , or skylight needs to have the ability open to the outside while remaining closed in order to allow to circulate fresh air as well as ventilation.

The bathrooms in all kitchens and any other room in your house that houses a bath, shower cooker or any other water-generating appliance will require appropriate extractor fans that can be vented out to the outside. Our Healthy Homes Assessment service will make sure there is sufficient ventilation in each livable space and will also check for the proper extractor fans in areas with high moisture.

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

A cozy dry home is an ideal home

Insulation Rongotai

Underfloor and ceiling insulation has been compulsory for all rent houses since 1 July 2019. Property managers and landlords have to make sure that the insulation meets the new quality. In certain situations, the current ceiling insulation, or the insulation of the sub floor space may require to be topped up or replaced.

A house that is well-insulated will help to control condensation and lessen the likelihood of mould and damp, and also makes it easier for the home to keep warmth.

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

The "R" refers to thermal resistance and is a measure of how well the insulation resists heat flow. The greater the R-value, the more effective the insulation.

• Zone 1 - Auckland & Northland Ceiling R 2.9 and underfloor R 1.3
• Zone 2 – The rest of the 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 all of the South Island – ceiling R 3.3, underfloor R 1.3

Find out all the details about the Healthy Homes insulation quality.

Rongotai Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Keeping your rental property safe from dampness isn’t just about the inside of the building It’s about having to make sure there is somewhere for surface as well as groundwater to move, and to prevent it from getting inside. When it is damp and moisture, it’s frequently not apparent that it could be a huge problem and end up causing the property to suffer and harming your tenant’s health.

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

In addition to a drainage system to avoid the ingress of moisture, if your rental has an enclosed gap between your floor and soil, a ground-water barrier should be put in place if it is reasonably practicable to do so.

The ground-moisture barrier generally a polythene sheet laid over the ground, to block any moisture that is present in the ground from accumulating into the home. It also helps prevent water damage to the floor insulation.

Learn more about the Healthy Homes moisture ingress and drainage standard.

Is your rental a Healthy Home?

Rental Property Home Assessments Rongotai

Rental property areas affected with Healthy Homes Standard. Healthy Homes Standards in Rongotai include each:

• Living Rooms
• Bedroom
• Dining Rooms
• Bathroom
• Kitchens
• Laundry

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Rongotai for Rental Properties

There are a myriad of things to be able to examine in an house inspection to determine whether your rental property is in compliance with the minimal requirements of the Healthy Homes Standard. A few examples are:

• Is the space under the floor insulated and is a ground moisture barrier in place?
• Does the ceiling insulation need replacement or topping?
• Do you think the heating system has enough capacity?
• Does the water flow properly and is there the draught is stopped?
• Does the house has enough ventilation, including extractor fans?

The consequences of not having an Healthy Home in accordance with regulations under the Residential Tenancies Act and consequently being on the wrong side of an tenancy services ruling can be significant for property managers and landlords. For specialist advice, call today to book your rental property house assessment.