Healthy Homes Assessment Bay View

Rental Property Expert Advice

Healthy Homes Assessment Services

Did you have any idea that the Healthy Homes Standards came into in force on July 1, 2021? Landlords must make sure their Bay View rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of a new or renewed tenancy, and all private rental properties must be fully compliant by 1 July 2024.

The areas covered by the Healthy Homes Standards are:

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

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

Failure to meet the obligations of the Healthy Homes Standards is a breach in the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and landlords who are not complying may be liable for up to $7200 plus any additional healthy homes associated fines.

We’re completely independent assessors of rental property, in addition, we’re completely qualified for both Healthy Homes and Homefit.

Call Now 0800 894 138

Rental Property Healthy Homes Fines

Fines for Failing to Comply

From the 1st of July in 2021, when a new, renewed or varied tenancy is signed on a Bay View rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance tasks need to be completed inside of 90 days.

From the 1st of July in 2021, once a new or renewed tenancy is signed on the Bay View rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be done within 90 days.

Failure to comply with any of the Healthy Homes Standards inside of the expected timeframe can result in penalties of up to $7200. Additionally, if the most existing Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance isn’t incorporated within an updated, renewed, or revised tenancy contract, there could be an additional penalty or infringement fee.

Any tenant can ask for information about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they relate to the property they reside in. If the landlord or the property manager doesn’t supply the required information within 21 days from receiving the request, they may receive an infringement letter and be fined upto $750.

Additionally, there is an additional fine of up to $900 for landlords and property managers providing a false or inaccurate Healthy Homes Compliance Statement or information. The person responsible for this fine is the person who is listed on the tenancy agreement as being the person leasing the property out and it could be the name of the landlord or the property management company.

All the information on the Statement of Compliance needs to be correct when the tenancy contract is executed, and it should be maintained throughout the duration of the tenancy when any necessary work related to it’s finished.

It is also important to note that a landlord with multiple rental properties may receive more severe penalties for not complying. The highest penalties are reserved for severe violations. Those who have six or more properties could be fined up to $50,000 and as high as $100,000 in hearing claims.

In the end, a failure to meet compliance with Healthy Homes requirements can hit your wallet hard, and result in significant fines and still being required to adhere to the regulations. Don’t put your rental at risk. property Call us today and arrange to have an home inspection performed on the rental property you are renting.

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

Healthy homes are important

What is the reason Healthy Homes Compliance So Important?

One in three households in New Zealand and Bay View, and research suggests that rental houses are more likely to be older, colder, have less efficient heating, and generally tend to be lower quality than the houses of owners.

Cold, damp and mouldy houses are linked to negative well-being outcomes, particularly illnesses such as colds and flu, asthma and cardiovascular issues. Furthermore, people who report at least four key housing quality problems frequently have low life satisfaction and reduced well-being.

Improve the standard of Bay View rental property will allow tenants to enjoy improved physical and mental health as well as lessen disruptions to their work, education and living because of diseases. Your investment is also better safeguarded from mildew, mould and damp-related damage, which completed jobs in less costs of maintenance over the long term.

The Healthy Homes Standard is a listing of minimum and specific requirements for heating, insulation Ventilation, Moisture ingress and Drainage, and Draught stopping within Bay View rental properties.

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

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Bay View

Draughts are a major cause of dropping temperatures within homes. A cold home costs more to heat, resulting in wasted energy and resulting in higher bills.

If a draught can be felt from unreasonable gaps or holes that it requirements to be sealed.

What are the most unreasonable gaps or holes?

If you are able to feel external air coming in or an unobstructed draught coming from a gap or hole that is, it is probably a gap or hole which requirements sealing in any way. Cracks or gaps with large gaps must be stopped permanently. Cracks that are greater than 3mm and allow air to enter or exit into your house need the sealing. In the case of an open fireplace is not in use, it can create draughts. This should be blocked from. Property managers and landlords are accountable for ensuring such draughts are eliminated whenever imaginable.

You don’t need to block off holes or gaps that are part of the building. For instance, small gaps around doors and windows might be necessary to allow movement of the building when the home warms and cools so that they can still be shut and opened, rather instead of being stuck. We will examine all doors and windows in the Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

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

Proper heating is crucial to ensure well-being homes

Heating Bay View

Rental properties in Bay View must have a fixed source of heat that can warm the main or largest living room to at least 18degC 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 for it to be permanent (i.e., not portable) that is, at least 1.5 Kilowatts in heating capacity, and must meet the minimum capacity for heating required to heat the living space in general. A Heating Assessment Tool can be used to check if the permanent heater(s) are adequate or if you’ll need to ‘top up’ with an additional heater. Open fires and unflued combustion heaters like mobile LPG bottle heaters aren’t considered to be suitable heating options in The Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating system you provide is electric heating or heat source, it should include the thermostat. This makes the heating more consistent and effective. For most houses, larger fixed heating systems such as wood burners, heat pumps pellet burners, flued gas heaters are necessary. However, in some cases like small apartments an electric, fixed heater may be sufficient.

If your main living space already has a central heating source, such as a heat pump, then it may require an update in order to comply with the standards. Certain kinds of heaters aren’t able to be utilised to meet the standard since they’re either costly, not cost-effective to run, and/or unsafe to run.

Find the complete specifications for the Healthy Homes heating requirements.

Ventilation Bay View

Every living space in the rental property should contain at minimum one open doors or windows to provide natural ventilation. Furthermore, moist spaces like kitchens and bathrooms need to have an venting fan outside to get rid of moisture.

It is the ventilation quality is all about acknowledging the fact that the dry atmosphere is less difficult to heat, and that a property that is well ventilated is less likely to develop damp and mould.

Bedrooms, living rooms kitchens and dining rooms are considered to be liveable spaces. Connecting spaces like the hallways are not liveable and don’t require an opening door or window.

Every window, door or Skylight requirements to be able open to the outside, and stay fixed in an open position to allow the circulation of fresh air and air flow.

All bathrooms and kitchens and any other room in your house that houses a bath, shower cooker or any other moisture generating item will need proper extractor fan systems that can be vented out to 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.

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

A comfortable, dry house is a healthy home

Insulation Bay View

Insulation for underfloor and ceilings is required on all rental houses since July 1, 2019. Property managers and landlords must make sure that the insulation meets current quality. In certain situations, the current ceiling insulation, or the insulation of the sub floor space might require to be added or replaced.

A house that is well-insulated will reduce the risk of condensation and lower the chance of dampness and mould, as well as making it easier for the household to retain warmth.

Insulation requirements to meet the R-values for your area

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

• Zone 1 Zone 1 Auckland & Northland Ceiling R 2.9 in the underfloor, 1.3
• Zone 2 – the rest 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 all of the South Island – ceiling R 3.3 below floor R 1.3

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

Bay View Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Making sure your rental property is protected from moisture isn’t just about what’s inside the building but you must make sure there is somewhere to allow surface, rain and ground water to go, and also stop it from getting inside. When it is damp and moisture, it is usually those things that you aren’t aware of that can become a big problem and cause damages to your investment and affecting the tenant’s well-being.

Rental properties must have effective drainage to remove storm water, surface water, and ground water, including the proper outfall or runoff. Making sure that the water has a place to go, and it doesn’t sit beneath buildings is an essential part of making sure your property is dry.

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

An underground moisture barrier typically an insulating sheet of polythene laid over the ground, to block any moisture present in the ground from entering the property. It also helps to prevent from causing damage to the flooring insulation.

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

Is your rental a Healthy Home?

Rental Property Home Assessments Bay View

Areas of rental properties that are impacted by Healthy Homes Standards. Healthy Homes Standard in Bay View include each:

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

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Bay View for Rental Properties

There are numerous things to check in the house evaluation to determine if your rental property meets all the basic requirements of Healthy Homes Standard. Some examples include:

• Does the subfloor space well-insulated? Is there a ground moisture barrier in place?
• Do you think the ceiling insulation require to be topped up or replaced?
• Can the unit heat up sufficient capacity?
• Is there adequate drainage and draught-stopping?
• Does the home have adequate ventilation? This includes extractor fans?

The consequences of not having a Healthy Home in accordance with lawful Residential Tenancies Act and consequently being on the wrong side of the tenancy services ruling can be significant for property owners and landlords. For professional advice, call now and schedule your rental properties home evaluation.