Healthy Homes Assessment Mayfair

Rental Property Expert Advice

Healthy Homes Assessment Services

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

The areas covered in the Healthy Homes Standards are:

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

We can assess your rental property to check if it meets the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts requirements. Following the assessment, we’ll advise you or your property manager of the work that requirements to be done, and provide a report with all the information required to complete your tenancy agreement’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Failure to meet the obligations in the Healthy Homes Standards is a breach in the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and any landlord who is found to be not conforming to the standards could be held accountable for as much as $7,200 and additional healthy homes associated fines.

We are completely independent assessors for rental properties, as well as fully certified for each of Healthy Homes and Homefit.

Call Now 0800 894 138

Rental Property Healthy Homes Fines

Fines for Failing to Comply

Since the 1st July of 2021, if a new or renewed tenancy is signed on a Mayfair rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance items need to be finished within 90 days.

Beginning on July 1st, 2021, when a brand new or renewed lease is entered into on the Mayfair rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be finished inside of 90 days.

Failure to meet all of the Healthy Homes Standards inside of the period of time expected can lead to penalties of up to $7200. Additionally, if a present Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance isn’t incorporated within the new, renewed or revised tenancy agreement, there may be additional penalties or an infringement fee.

Any tenant can ask for information about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they relate to the home they reside in. If the the property manager doesn’t supply the information requested within 21 days of getting the notice, the tenant could be issued an infringement notice and could be fined up to $750.

In addition, there’s also a penalty up to $900 for property owners or property managers providing a false or inaccurate Healthy Homes Compliance Statement or any other information. The person liable for this fine is whoever is named on the tenancy agreement as the person who is renting the property which could be the landlord’s name or the company that manages the property.

All the information on the Compliance Statement requirements to be correct before the tenancy agreement can be signed, and ideally it should be kept updated during the entire tenancy, as necessary work related to it is finished.

It’s crucial to keep in mind that a landlord who have multiple rental properties may receive additional fines for non-compliance. The harshest penalties are given for severe violations, and landlords who own more than six properties could be fined as high as $50,000, or as high as $100,000 in hearing claims.

Clearly, failure to meet compliance with Healthy Homes requirements can hit your bank account with huge fines, in addition to still being required to comply with the regulations. Do not risk your rental property Contact us now and make arrangements to have a home evaluation performed on the rental property you are renting.

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

Healthy homes are important

Why is Healthy Homes Compliance So Important?

Around 1 in 3 households in New Zealand and Mayfair, and research indicates that rental houses tend to be colder, older and are not as effective heating and have lower quality than homes that are owned by the owner.

Cold, damp and mouldy homes can have negative well-being outcomes, particularly diseases like colds and asthma, as well as cardiovascular conditions. Furthermore, people who reported four or more key home quality issues often suffer from less satisfaction in their lives and lower mental wellbeing.

Improving the quality of Mayfair rental property will help tenants experience improved physical and mental health and reduce the interruption to learning, work and daily life because of illnesses. Your investment is also secured from mildew, mould and damp-related damage, which results in less costs of maintenance in the long-term.

The Healthy Homes Standards are a listing of minimum and specific requirements for heating, insulation Ventilation, Moisture Ingress and Drainage, and Draught-stopping for Mayfair rental properties.

Get started now and contact us about having a Mayfair Healthy Home assessment on your rental property right now.

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Mayfair

Draughts increase the likelihood of dropping temperatures within households. A humid home will cost more to heat, which completed jobs in wasting money and energy.

If a draught could be noticed from gaps that are not adequate or holes, it needs to be sealed.

What are the most unreasonable gaps or holes?

If you can feel external air flowing in or a clear draught from a gap or hole that is, it’s probably a gap or crack that requirements sealing in somehow. Large cracks and gaps should be sealed permanently. Any gaps greater than 3mm that allow air in or out of your house need sealing. In the case of an open fireplace isn’t being used, it can create draughts. This must be sealed off. Property managers and landlords are accountable for ensuring that these draughts are stopped in the maximum extent imaginable.

There is no require to cover up gaps or holes that are part of the building. For example, tiny gaps around windows and doors could be required to allow for movement within the structure as the household heats and cools, to allow them to be shut and opened, rather than being stuck. We will examine the windows and doors during our Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

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

Adequate heaters are important to ensure well-being homes

Heating Mayfair

Mayfair rental properties must have a fixed heating source that can warm the living space to a minimum of 18 degrees Celsius, even on the most coldest days of the year. This is the recommended minimum indoor temperature that is recommended by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical health and mental outlook.

The source of heat needs that it be permanently fixed (i.e. not portable) that is, at minimum 1.5 kW in heating capacity, and meet the minimum heating capacity needed for the main living space. The Heating Assessment Tool can be used to check if the current permanent heater(s) are adequate or whether you will need to ‘top up’ with an additional heater. Unflued combustion and open fire heaters such as portable LPG bottle heaters are not considered acceptable heating options under those following the Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating that you offer is an electric heater or heat source, then it must have a thermostat. This will make the heating more reliable and efficient. In most houses, larger fixed heating devices such as wood burners, heat pumps, pellet burners or flued gas heaters will be required. However, in some cases like small apartments small apartments, a smaller electric fixed heater may suffice.

If your main living space already has a central heating source such as the heat pump, it may require an update to ensure it meets the requirements. Some types of heaters can’t be used to comply with the standard as they are either expensive, inefficient or are unsafe to operate.

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

Ventilation Mayfair

Every living space in a rental property has to contain at minimum one open doors or windows to offer natural ventilation. In addition, high moisture areas like kitchens and bathrooms need to have an externally vented extractor fan that can remove moisture.

The ventilation quality is all about acknowledging that the dry atmosphere is easier to heat and heat, and a property that is well ventilated will be less prone to developing mould and damp.

Living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens and dining rooms are considered to be liveable spaces. Connecting spaces such as the hallways are not living spaces and therefore are not require an opening door or window.

Each window, door or the skylight requirements at least to open up to the outside, and stay fixed in an open position in order to allow ventilation and fresh air ventilation.

All bathrooms and kitchens and any other area in your property with shower, bath cooker or any other water-generating appliance will need suitable extractor fans that are vented towards the outside. The Healthy Homes Assessment service will make sure there is sufficient ventilation in every living space, including suitable extractor fans in areas with high moisture.

See the full details of this Healthy Homes ventilation quality.

A cozy dry house is a healthy house

Insulation Mayfair

Ceiling and underfloor insulation is a requirement to all rental houses since 1 July 2019. All landlords and property managers have to make sure that the insulation is up to the new standard. In some cases, existing ceiling insulation or insulation in the subfloor space may require to be replaced or replaced.

A house that is well-insulated can reduce condensation and lower the chance of dampness and mould, and it will make it easier to allow the home to hold warmth.

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

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

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

See the full details of this Healthy Homes insulation quality.

Mayfair Moisture Ingress & Drainage

The security of your rental home from dampness isn’t just about the interior of the building; you have to ensure there is somewhere for surface, rain and underground water to flow, and also stop it from getting inside. When it comes to moisture and damp it is usually the things you don’t notice that could be a huge problem and cause damages to your investment and harming the tenant’s well-being.

Rental properties must have effective drainage to get rid of the stormwater and surface waters and groundwater, with the proper outfall or runoff. Making sure that water is able to go and that it doesn’t sit beneath buildings is a vital aspect of keeping your property dry.

In addition to an irrigation system to stop moisture ingress, if your property has an enclosed space between floorboards and ground, a ground moisture barrier should be put in place if it’s reasonably practicable to do so.

An underground moisture barrier generally made of polythene and is laid on top of the ground, in order to block any moisture from the ground from entering the building. It also helps to prevent any damage to your underfloor insulation.

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

Is your rental a Healthy Home?

Rental Property Home Assessments Mayfair

Rental property areas affected by the Healthy Homes Standard in Mayfair include each:

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

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Mayfair for Rental Properties

There are numerous things you should look for when conducting an home assessment to see if your rental property is in compliance with all the basic requirements of Healthy Homes Standards. The most common are:

• Is the space under the floor protected and does it have a water barrier in place?
• Is the ceiling insulation in require of topping up? require to be topped up or replaced?
• Is the heater equipped with sufficient capacity?
• Are there enough drainage and the draught is stopped?
• Does the house have adequate ventilation? This includes extractor fans?

The consequences of not having an Healthy Home in accordance with The Residential Tenancies Act and consequently being in the wrong of the Tenancy solutions ruling can have a significant impact for property managers and landlords. For specialist assistance, get in touch today to book your rental properties home assessment.