Healthy Homes Assessment Waipukurau

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 are now required to make sure their Waipukurau rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of any new or renewed tenancy, and all private rentals are required to be fully conforming by the 1st July 2024.

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

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

We can evaluate the rental property you have in order to determine whether it’s in compliance with the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts requirements. After assessing, we’ll advise you or your property manager about the work that needs to be done, and provide the report with all the necessary information for your tenancy contract’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Failure to comply with the requirements to comply with the Healthy Homes Standards is a breach under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and landlords who are not conforming to the standards could be held accountable for up to $7,200 plus additional healthier homes relevant fines.

We’re fully independent assessors of rental property, we are fully qualified to assess each of Healthy Homes and Homefit.

Rental Property Healthy Homes Fines

Fines for Failing to Comply

From the 1st of July in 2021, when a brand new or renewed tenancy is signed on a Waipukurau rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance tasks must be taken care of inside of 90 days.

From the 1st of July in 2021, when a new or renewed Tenancy is signed for a Waipukurau rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be taken care of within 90 days.

Failure to adhere to any of the Healthy Homes Standards by the end of the anticipated timeframe could result in a fine of up to $7200. Additionally, if the most existing Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance is not included in an updated, renewed, or revised tenancy contract, there may be additional penalties or an infringement fee.

Any tenant can ask for information regarding the Healthy Homes Standard and how they relate to the property they live in. If the property manager fails to supply the information requested within 21 days from getting the notice, the tenant can receive an infringement notification and be fined as high as $750.

In addition, there’s an additional fine of as much as $900 for landlords and property managers providing a false or inaccurate Healthy Homes Compliance Statement or other information. The person responsible to pay this fine is the one who is named on the lease agreement as being the person leasing the property out which could be the name of the landlord as well as the property management company.

The information contained in the Statement of Compliance needs to be up-to-date at the time that the tenancy agreement is signed. It should be maintained during the entire tenancy, as relevant work gets completed.

It’s also important to remember that a landlord who have multiple rental properties could face additional fines for non-compliance. The highest penalties are reserved for severe breaches, and landlords with six or more properties can receive fines of up to $50,000, or as high as $100,000 in the case of hearing claims.

If you fail to comply with your Healthy Homes requirements can hit your wallet resulting in huge fines, in addition to still having to meet compliance. Do not risk your rental property, contact us today and arrange to have a home assessment performed for your rental property.

Get the full description of this law. Residential Tenancies Act landlords responsibilities.

Healthy homes are important

Why is Healthy Homes Compliance important?

About 1 in 3 households rent in New Zealand and Waipukurau, and research indicates that rental homes are most likely to be colder, older and are not as effective heating, and generally tend to be lower quality than owner occupied properties.

Cold, damp and mouldy homes are linked to negative well-being results, specifically for illnesses such as colds and flu, asthma and cardiovascular conditions. In addition, people who reported at least four major home quality issues often suffer from less satisfaction in their lives and lower mental wellbeing.

Improve the quality of Waipukurau rental property can help tenants enjoy better physical and mental health and minimise the interruption to learning, work and daily life because of illness. Your investment is also secured from mildew, mould and damp-related damage, which results in lower maintenance costs in the long run.

The Healthy Homes Standards are a list of the specific and minimum standards for heating, insulation Ventilation, Moisture Ingress and Drainage, and Draught Stopping for Waipukurau rental properties.

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

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Waipukurau

Draughts are a major cause of lower temperatures in households. A damp house is more expensive to heat, meaning wasting energy and resulting in higher bills.

If a draught can be perceived as a result of gaps or holes that it needs to be sealed.

What are unjustifiable gaps or holes?

If you are able to feel external air coming in or an unobstructed draught coming from a hole or gap and you can feel it, it’s probably a gap or hole which requirements sealing in any way. Large cracks and gaps should be permanently stopped. The gaps that exceed 3mm that let air in or out from the home need seals. For example, if an open fireplace isn’t being used, it could cause draughts, and should be blocked off. Property managers and landlords are responsible for ensuring that draughts from the fireplace are removed whenever imaginable.

You don’t need to block holes or gaps that are part of the construction. For example, tiny gaps around windows and doors may be required to allow for the movement of the structure when the house warms and cools so that they can still be closed and opened rather instead of being stuck. We will examine all doors and windows during our Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

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

Adequate heaters are important to ensure healthy homes

Heating Waipukurau

Waipukurau rental properties need to have a stable heating source that is able to heat the{ main or largest|| largest or main| principal or the biggest} living area to at minimum 18degC, even on the coldest days of the year. This is the minimum temperature indoors that is recommended by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical health and mental well-being.

The source of heating requirements to be fixed (i.e., not portable) that is, at least 1.5 kW in heating capacity, and it must have the minimum heating capacity needed for the main living space. A Heating Assessment Tool could be used to check if the installed heater(s) are adequate or if you’ll require to top up by adding a second heater. Open fires as well as unflued combustion heaters like portable LPG bottle heaters are not considered to be safe heating options in those following the Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating system you offer is electric heating (or heat pump), it needs to include the thermostat. This will help make your heating more consistent and efficient. In most houses, larger fixed heating devices such as wood burners, heat pumps, pellet burners or flued gas heaters are required. However, in certain instances like small apartment buildings an electric, fixed heater might be enough.

If your living space already has a permanent heating source, like a heat pump, then it may need some additional energy to be able to meet the standards. Some types of heaters can’t be used to achieve the quality as they are either inefficient, unaffordable to operate or are unsafe to operate.

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

Ventilation Waipukurau

Each liveable space in a rental property has to contain at minimum one open doors or windows to provide natural airflow. In addition, high moisture areas such as kitchens and bathrooms should be equipped with an externally vented extractor fan that can remove moisture.

This ventilation standard is all about understanding how the dry atmosphere is less difficult to heat and heat, and a well ventilated rental property is less likely to develop mould and damp.

Bedrooms, living spaces, kitchens and dining rooms are all considered living spaces. Connecting spaces like the hallways are not liveable and do not require an opening door or window.

Each window, door , or the skylight needs to have the ability open to the outside while remaining at an open angle in order to allow for fresh air circulation and air flow.

Bathrooms, kitchens, and any other room in your property with a bath, shower or cooktop, or any other moisture generating item will require adequate extractor fans that are vented towards the outside. This Healthy Homes Assessment service will make sure there is sufficient air circulation in every living space with the right extractor fan in areas of high moisture.

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

A warm dry home is an ideal house

Insulation Waipukurau

The insulation of the ceiling and underfloor is a requirement in all rental houses as of July 1st, 2019. All landlords and property managers should make sure the insulation meets current standard. In some cases, an existing insulation on the ceiling or in the sub floor space may need to be topped up or replaced.

A well-insulated house can help control condensation and reduce the chances of mould and damp, and will also make more easy for the household to retain the heat.

Insulation needs to meet the R-values for your area

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

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

Waipukurau Moisture Ingress & Drainage

The security of your rental home from water damage isn’t only about the inside of the building but you must make sure there is somewhere for surface and ground water to go, and stop it from coming inside. When it comes to moisture and damp it is usually the things you don’t notice that could be a huge problem and end up causing damage to your investment and affecting your tenant’s well-being.

Rental properties should have efficient drainage to eliminate the stormwater and surface waters and ground water, which includes an appropriate runoff or outfall. Making sure that the water is able to go, and also that it doesn’t get sucked into structures is a crucial aspect of maintaining your property’s dry.

Alongside a drainage system to prevent the ingress of moisture, if your rental is enclosed between your floor and ground, a ground water barrier must be put in place when it is reasonably practicable to do so.

The ground-moisture barrier typically a sheet of polythene that is placed over the ground to stop any moisture in the ground from rising into the building. It also assists in preventing any damage to your underfloor insulation.

Check out the complete details of this Healthy Homes moisture ingress and drainage standard.

Is your rental a Healthy Home?

Rental Property Home Assessments Waipukurau

Areas of rental properties that are impacted through The Healthy Homes Standards in Waipukurau include each:

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

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Waipukurau for Rental Properties

There are a myriad of things to be able to examine when conducting a house assessment to see if your rental property meets the minimum requirements of the Healthy Homes Standards. The most common are:

• Are the floor spaces insulated and is a ground waterproofing barrier?
• Does the ceiling insulation need replacement or topping?
• Do you think the heating system has sufficient capacity?
• Are there enough drainage and draught stopping?
• Does the home have enough air circulation, including extractor fans?

The repercussions of not having the Healthy home in relation to regulations under the Residential Tenancies Act and consequently falling on the wrong side of the Tenancy solutions ruling can be extremely costly for landlords and property managers. For expert assistance, get in touch now and schedule your rental property house evaluation.