Healthy Homes Assessment Totara Park

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 must make sure their Totara Park rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of a renewed or new tenancy and all private rental properties must 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 satisfies the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts requirements. After assessment, we’ll advise you or your property manager about any work that needs to be done and provide a report with all the details required for your tenancy agreement’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

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

We’re fully independent assessors of rental properties, as well as fully qualified for both Healthy Homes and Homefit.

Call Now (04) 280 6792

Rental Property Healthy Homes Fines

Fines for Failing to Comply

Beginning on July 1st, 2021, when a brand new or renewed tenancy is signed for a Totara Park rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance items must be completed inside of 90 days.

From the 1st of July in 2021, when a new, renewed or varied lease is entered into on a Totara Park rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be finished by the end of 90 days.

Inability to adhere to any of the Healthy Homes Standards within the expected timeframe can result in penalties of up to $7200. Furthermore, if a current Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance isn’t incorporated in an updated, renewed, or revised tenancy agreement, it could result in an additional fine or infringement fee.

Any tenant can ask for information about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they are related to the house they are living in. If the landlord or property manager does not supply the required information within 21 days from receiving the request, they can receive an infringement notification and could be fined up to $750.

Additionally, there is an additional fine of up to $900 for landlords or property managers who have provided a false or false Healthy Homes Compliance Statement or other information. The person responsible for this fine is the person who is identified on the tenancy agreement as the person who is who is letting the property, so it could be the name of the landlord as well as the company that manages the property.

The information contained in the Statement of Compliance requirements to be correct at the time that the tenancy agreement is signed, and ideally it is updated throughout the duration of the tenancy when any associated work has been completed.

It is crucial to note that landlords with several rental properties can face additional fines for non-compliance. The highest penalties are given only for serious breaches, and landlords with more than six properties could be penalised up to $50,000, or as high as $100,000 in the case of hearing claims.

Clearly, failure to adhere to the Healthy Homes requirements can hit your pocket with massive fines as well as having to continue to comply. Don’t risk your rental property Contact us now and ask us to conduct an home assessment done 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 So Important?

A majority of households from New Zealand and Totara Park, and research shows us that these rental homes are more likely to be colder, older, are not as efficient heating and have lower quality than owner occupied properties.

Damp, mouldy and cold houses are associated with negative health results, specifically for illnesses like colds, flu, asthma and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, people who report at least four key housing quality problems frequently have lower levels of satisfaction with life and a decrease in psychological well-being.

Enhancing the standard of Totara Park rental property can allow tenants to experience better mental and physical health and minimise the interruption to learning, work and daily life due to illness. Your investment will be protected from mildew, mould and damp-related damage, which completed jobs in less maintenance costs in the long-term.

The Healthy Homes Standard is a set of specific and minimal requirements for heating, insulation Ventilation, Moisture ingress and Drainage, as well as Draught Stopping on Totara Park rental properties.

Begin now by calling about the Totara Park Healthy Home assessment on your rental property today.

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Totara Park

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

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

What are unjustifiable gaps or holes?

If you can feel external air flowing in or the air is clear from a gap or hole, then it is most likely a gap or hole which needs sealing in somehow. Large gaps and cracks should be sealed permanently. The gaps that exceed 3mm that let air into or out of your home require sealing. For example, if the open fireplace isn’t being used, it may cause draughts and must be sealed off. Property managers and landlords are responsible for making sure such draughts are eliminated as far as imaginable.

You don’t require to block holes or gaps that are part of the building. For example, tiny gaps around doors and windows may be required to allow for movement of the structure as the household is heated and cools so that they can still be opened and closed rather than securing. We will test all windows and doors during an Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

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

The proper heating equipment is important for healthy houses

Heating Totara Park

Totara Park rental properties should have a permanent source of heating that is able to heat the main or largest living space to at least 18degC, even on 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 wellbeing.

The source of heat requirements to remain fixed (i.e. not portable) that is, 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 whether the existing fix heater(s) are adequate or if you’ll require to top up with an additional heater. Open fires and unflued combustion heaters like portable LPG bottle heaters are not considered to be suitable heating options under The Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating you provide is an electric heater or heat pump it must be equipped with an thermostat. This will make your heating more consistent and effective. For the majority of homes, bigger fixed heating systems such as wood burners, heat pumps pellet burners, flued gas heaters are needed. However, in some cases like apartments with small spaces small apartments, a smaller electric fixed heater could be enough.

If the living area is already equipped with a fixed heating source, such as a heat pump, then it could need an upgrade to meet the standards. Certain types of heaters cannot be used to achieve the standard as they are either inefficient, unaffordable to operate or unsafe to operate.

See the full details regarding the Healthy Homes heating requirements.

Ventilation Totara Park

Every living space in the rental property should have at least one opening windows or an exterior door to offer natural airflow. Furthermore, moist 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 how dried air can be much easier to heat and heat, and a property that is well ventilated is less likely to grow mould and damp.

Bedrooms, living rooms kitchens, and dining rooms are considered liveable spaces. Connecting spaces such as the hallways are not living spaces and therefore are not need an opening door or window.

Each door, window or the skylight needs at least of opening to the outside, and stay set in an opening position to allow for fresh air circulation and air flow.

All bathrooms and kitchens and every other room of your house that houses shower, bath and cooktop or another humidity-generating items will need appropriate extractor fans that vent to the outside. We offer a Healthy Homes Assessment service will verify that there is enough ventilation in every living space with the right extractor fan for areas that are high in moisture.

Find out all the details about The Healthy Homes ventilation quality.

A warm dry house is a healthy home

Insulation Totara Park

Ceiling and underfloor insulation is mandatory on all rental houses from 1 July 2019. Property managers and landlords are required to ensure the insulation meets this new quality. In certain situations, the current ceiling insulation, or the insulation of the subfloor space may need to be replaced or replaced.

A well-insulated house can help control condensation and lessen the likelihood of dampness and mould, and it will make much easier for the house to retain the heat.

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

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

• Zone 1 - Auckland & Northland - ceiling R 2.9 Underfloor R 1.3
• Zone 2 – all of the North Island except Taupo and the Central Plateau – ceiling R 2.9 underfloor R 1.3
• Zone 3 - North Island Taupo, Central Plateau and the entire South Island – ceiling R 3.3 and underfloor R 1.3

Learn more about the Healthy Homes insulation quality.

Totara Park Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Making sure your rental property is protected from moisture isn’t just about the inside of the building It’s about having to make sure there is somewhere to allow surface, rain as well as groundwater to move, and to prevent it from getting inside. When it is about damp and water, it’s often those concerns that you aren’t aware of that could be a huge problem that can cause the property to suffer and affecting your tenant’s health.

Properties that are rented must have effective drainage to get rid of the stormwater and surface waters and groundwater, with an appropriate outfall or runoff. Making sure that water has a location to go and that it isn’t allowed to remain beneath buildings is a vital aspect of making sure your property is dry.

Alongside a drainage system to avoid moisture from entering, if your property has an enclosed space between floorboards and soil, a ground-water barrier must be constructed if it is reasonably practicable to install it.

The ground-moisture barrier usually an insulating sheet of polythene laid over the ground, in order to block any moisture present in the ground from rising into the building. It also assists in preventing water damage to the floor insulation.

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

Is your rental a Healthy Home?

Rental Property Home Assessments Totara Park

Property rental areas that are affected to the Healthy Homes Standard in Totara Park include each:

• Living Room
• Bedroom
• Dining Rooms
• Bathroom
• Kitchen
• Laundry

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Totara Park for Rental Properties

There are numerous things to check in the house inspection to determine whether your rental property is in compliance with the minimum requirements of the Healthy Homes Standards. There are a few examples:

• Is the space under the floor insulated and is a ground moisture barrier present?
• Is the ceiling insulation in need of topping up? require to be topped up or replaced?
• Do you think the heating system has sufficient capacity?
• Is there adequate drainage and stopping of draughts?
• Does the home have sufficient ventilation including extractor fans?

The repercussions of not having a Healthy home that is in compliance with The Residential Tenancies Act and consequently being in the wrong of a tenancy solutions ruling can have a significant impact for property managers and landlords. For professional advice get in touch today and book your rental properties home assessment.