Healthy Homes Assessment Pakipaki

Rental Property Expert Advice

Healthy Homes Assessment Services

Did you be aware that the Healthy Homes Standards came into effect on the 1st July 2021? Landlords are now required to ensure their Pakipaki rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of a new or renewed tenancy and all private rentals must be fully conforming by the 1st July 2024.

The areas covered in the Healthy Homes Standards are:

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

We can evaluate your rental property and determine if it meets the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts requirements. After the assessment, we’ll advise you or your property manager about the tasks that requirements to be completed, and offer an assessment report that includes all the information required for your tenancy agreement’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

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

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

Call Now 0800 894 138

Rental Property Healthy Homes Fines

Fines for Failing to Comply

Beginning on July 1st, 2021, once a new, renewed or varied tenancy is signed on a Pakipaki rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance tasks must be completed by the end of 90 days.

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

Failure to comply with each of Healthy Homes Standards by the end of the period of time expected can lead to a fine of up to $7200. Additionally, if the most present Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance isn’t incorporated within an updated, renewed, or revised tenancy contract, there may be an additional fine or violation fee.

Anyone can request information about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they are related to the house they reside in. If the landlord or the property manager doesn’t supply the information requested within 21 days of having received the inquiry, they could receive an infringement notification and be fined as high as $750.

In addition, there’s also a penalty approximately $900 for landlords and property managers providing a false or misleading Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance or other information. The person liable for this fine is the one who is named on the tenancy agreement as the person who is leasing the property out and it could be the name of the landlord or the property management company.

The information contained in the Statement of Compliance needs to be accurate when the tenancy contract is signed. It is updated throughout the duration of the tenancy when any necessary work related to it is finished.

It is also crucial to remember that landlords with multiple rental properties could face even higher fines for non-compliance. The harshest penalties are handed down for the most serious breaches, and landlords with more than six properties could receive fines of up to $50,000 and as high as $100,000 in the case of hearing claims.

In the end, a failure to meet your Healthy Homes requirements can hit your pocket with large fines in addition to continuing to be required to comply with the requirements. Don’t put your rental at risk. property call us now and request an home inspection performed on the rental property you are renting.

See the full details for how to apply the Residential Tenancies Act landlords responsibilities.

Healthy homes matter

Why is Healthy Homes Compliance so important?

Around 1 in 3 households rent homes in New Zealand and Pakipaki, and research indicates that rental homes are likely to be colder, older and are not as efficient heating and tend to be of poorer quality than the homes of owners.

Moldy, damp and cold homes can have negative health results, specifically for ailments like colds and asthma, as well as cardiovascular diseases. In addition, people who reported four or more key housing quality problems frequently have lower levels of satisfaction with life and a decrease in mental wellbeing.

Enhancing the standard of Pakipaki rental property will help tenants experience improved physical and mental health as well as lessen disturbance to learning, work and living because of diseases. Your investment is also better secured from mildew, mould and damp damages, which means lower maintenance costs in the long-term.

The Healthy Homes Standard is a set of specific and minimal standards for heating, insulation Ventilation, Moisture Ingress and Drainage, as well as Draught Control in Pakipaki rental properties.

Start now and call about the Pakipaki Healthy Home assessment on your rental property right now.

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Pakipaki

Draughts may lead to lower temperatures in households. A draughty house is more expensive to heat, meaning wasting money and energy.

If a draft can be felt through gaps that are too large or holes, it requirements to be sealed.

What are the most unreasonable gaps or holes?

If you can feel external air entering or the air is clear from a crack or a gap or crack, then it is likely to be a gap or hole that needs sealing in any way. Cracks and gaps that are large should be stopped permanently. Any gaps greater than 3mm that let air in or out from the house need the sealing. In the case of an open fireplace is not in use, it could cause draughts, and must be sealed off. Property managers and landlords are accountable for making sure that such draughts are squelched whenever possible.

There is no need to cover up gaps or holes in the construction. For example, tiny gaps around doors and windows could be required to allow for movement within the structure when the home warms and cools to allow them to be shut and opened, rather than securing. We will examine the windows and doors during your Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

Get the complete information to the Healthy Homes draught stopping requirements.

Proper heating is crucial to ensure healthy homes

Heating Pakipaki

Pakipaki rental properties require a reliable source of heating that can warm the largest or main living area to at minimum 18degC, even during the coldest winter days. This is the minimum temperature indoors recommended by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical health and mental outlook.

The source of heating requirements to be fixed (i.e., not portable), at least 1.5 kW of heating capacity, and meet the minimum requirement for heat capacity for the main living room. A Heating Assessment Tool can be used to check if your current fixed heater(s) are adequate or if you’ll require to "top-up" with an additional heater. Fires that are open and unflued heaters such as small portable LPG bottle heaters aren’t considered to be suitable heating options for Healthy Homes Standard. Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating that you offer is an electric heater or heat source, it should be equipped with a thermostat. This makes your heating more consistent and effective. For the majority of houses, bigger fixed heating systems such as heat pumps, wood burners pellet burners, flued gas heaters are needed. In certain situations, such as small apartments small apartments, a smaller electric fixed heater may suffice.

If the living area already has a fixed heating source such as heat pumps, it could need a top up to be able to meet the standards. Certain kinds of heaters aren’t able to be utilised to meet the quality since they’re either costly, not affordable to run, and/or unsafe to run.

Find the complete specifications on details on Healthy Homes heating needs.

Ventilation Pakipaki

Each liveable space in the rental property should include at least one open doors or windows to offer natural airflow. In addition, humid areas like kitchens and bathrooms should have an venting fan outside to remove moisture.

This ventilation quality is about recognising how the dry atmosphere is more easy to heat and the property that is properly ventilated will be less prone to developing mould and damp.

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

Every window, door or the skylight requirements to have the ability to open up to the outside and remain closed in order to allow to circulate fresh air as well as ventilation.

All bathrooms and kitchens and any other room in your home with shower, bath, cooktop or other high moisture-producing item will need appropriate extractor fans which are vented towards the outside. Our Healthy Homes Assessment service will make sure there is sufficient air circulation in every living space with the right extractor fan in high moisture areas.

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

A dry and warm house is an ideal house

Insulation Pakipaki

Ceiling and underfloor insulation is mandatory to all rental houses as of July 1st, 2019. Property managers and landlords have to make sure that the insulation meets current standard. In certain situations, the existing ceiling insulation or insulation in the subfloor space might need to be filled with or replaced.

A properly insulated home will help to control condensation and lower the chance of mould and dampness, and also makes more easy to the home to hold the heat.

Insulation requirements to meet the R-values for your area

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

• Zone 1 Zone 1 Auckland & Northland Ceiling R 2.9 Underfloor R 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 and underfloor R 1.3

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

Pakipaki Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Keeping your rental property safe from water damage isn’t only about the inside; you have to ensure there is somewhere for rain, surface as well as groundwater to move and stop it from coming into the building. When it is damp and moisture, it is typically what you don’t see that could become a major issue and cause damages to your investment and harming the tenant’s well-being.

Rental properties should have efficient drainage to remove the stormwater and surface waters, and ground water. This includes an appropriate runoff or outfall. Making sure the water has a proper place to go, and that it can’t linger underneath the structures is a crucial aspect of keeping your property dry.

Alongside a drainage system to avoid water ingress, if the rental has an enclosed gap between your flooring and surface, a ground moisture barrier should be put in place if it’s reasonably practicable to install it.

A ground moisture barrier is generally made of polythene and is laid on top of the ground, to block any moisture that is present in the ground from accumulating into the building. It also helps in preventing moisture damage to the underfloor insulation.

See the full details of The Healthy Homes moisture ingress and drainage quality.

Is your rental a Healthy Home?

Rental Property Home Assessments Pakipaki

Rental property areas affected through the Healthy Homes Standards in Pakipaki include each:

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

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Pakipaki for Rental Properties

There are many things to be able to examine during the house assessment to see if your rental property meets the minimal requirements of the Healthy Homes Standard. There are a few examples:

• Does the subfloor space well-insulated? Is there a ground water barrier in place?
• Is the ceiling insulation in require of topping up? need to be topped up or replaced?
• Can the unit heat up enough capacity?
• Do you have enough drainage? stopping of draughts?
• Does the home have enough air circulation, including extractor fans?

The consequences of not having an Healthy Home with regard to regulations under the Residential Tenancies Act and consequently getting on the wrong side of a ruling on tenancy services ruling could be significant for property owners and landlords. For professional advice, call today to schedule your rental properties house assessment.