Healthy Homes Assessment Lyall Bay

Rental Property Expert Advice

Healthy Homes Assessment Services

Did you not know that Healthy Homes Standards came into in force on July 1, 2021? Landlords are now required to ensure that their Lyall Bay rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of the start of any renewed or new tenancy and all private rental properties must be fully compliant by 1 July 2024.

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

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

We will assess your rental property to check whether it satisfies the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts standards. After assessment, we will advise you or your property manager about any work which requirements to be completed and offer a report with all the details required for your tenancy contract’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

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

We are fully independent assessors for rental properties, in addition, we’re fully certified for each of Healthy Homes and Homefit.

Call Now (04) 280 6790

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 Lyall Bay rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance tasks need to be taken care of within 90 days.

From the 1st of July in 2021, once a new or renewed lease is entered into on the Lyall Bay rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be taken care of within 90 days.

Failure to meet any of the Healthy Homes Standards within the period of time expected can lead to the possibility of a fine up to $7200. In addition, if the present Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance isn’t included in the new, renewed or revised tenancy agreement there may be an additional fine or infringement fee.

Any tenant may request details regarding 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 being informed of the request, they can be issued an infringement notice and be fined as high as $750.

In addition, there is an additional fine of as much as $900 for landlords and property managers providing a false or false Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance or other information. The person responsible to pay this fine is the one who is identified on the tenancy agreement as being the person letting the property out, so it could be the name of the landlord, or the company that manages the property.

All information in the Statement of Compliance requirements to be accurate at the time that the tenancy agreement is completed, and must be updated during the entire tenancy, as necessary work related to it’s finished.

It is also crucial to remember that a landlord with several rental properties can face additional fines for non-compliance. The harshest penalties are given only for serious breaches. Landlords with more than six properties could be fined as high as $50,000, and as much as $100,000 for hearing claims.

In the end, a failure to comply with requirements of Healthy Homes requirements can hit your pocket hard, resulting in large fines in addition to continuing to be required to comply with the requirements. Don’t put your rental at risk. property, contact us today and request a house assessment performed on your rental property.

See the full details for details on Residential Tenancies Act landlords responsibilities.

Healthy homes are important

What are the reasons why Healthy Homes Compliance important?

A majority of households rent from New Zealand and Lyall Bay, and research indicates that rental houses are more likely to be colder, older and have less effective heating, and generally are of lower quality than the houses of owners.

Cold, damp and mouldy homes are associated with negative health outcomes, particularly illnesses like colds, asthma, as well as cardiovascular conditions. In addition, people who reported at least four key housing quality problems frequently have poor life satisfaction and lower psychological well-being.

Improving the quality of Lyall Bay rental property will help tenants experience improved physical and mental health and minimise the disturbance to learning, work and daily life due to illness. Your investment is also better protected from mould, mildew and damp-related damage, which completed jobs 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, as well Draught stopping within Lyall Bay rental properties.

Begin now by calling about having a Lyall Bay Healthy Home assessment on your rental property now.

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Lyall Bay

Draughts may lead to low temperatures inside households. A damp home costs more to heat, which means wasting energy and increased bills.

If a draught can be perceived as a result of gaps or holes the area requirements to be closed.

What are unjustifiable gaps or holes?

If you can feel external air coming in or the air is clear from a hole or gap and you can feel it, it is likely a crack or hole which needs sealing in somehow. Large gaps and cracks should be fixed permanently. Any gaps greater than 3mm that allow air in or out into the house need the sealing. For instance, if an open fireplace isn’t being used, it could cause draughts, and must be sealed from. Landlords and property managers are responsible for ensuring that draughts from the fireplace are removed as much as imaginable.

You don’t need to cover up holes or gaps that are part of the construction. For example, tiny gaps around windows and doors could be necessary to allow for the movement of the structure when the house warms and cools so that they are able to be opened and closed rather than sticking. We will examine every window and door as part of an Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

Find the complete specifications for the Healthy Homes draught stopping requirements.

Adequate heaters are important for well-being homes

Heating Lyall Bay

Rental properties in Lyall Bay should have a permanent heating source that can warm the largest or main living room to at least 18degC, even during the coldest days of the year. This is the minimum indoor temperature suggested by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical health and mental well-being.

The heating source needs to be fixed (i.e. not portable) with at least 1.5 kW in heating capacity, and meet the minimum requirement for heat capacity for the main living room. A Heating Assessment Tool may be used to check if your current fixed heater(s) are sufficient or whether you will require to "top up" by adding a second heater. Fires that are open and unflued heaters like small portable LPG bottle heaters are not considered to be acceptable heating options for the Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating you offer is an electric heater or heat pump, it should have an thermostat. This makes the heating more uniform and efficient. For most homes, larger fixed heating systems such as heat pumps, wood burners, pellet burners or flued gas heaters will be required. In certain situations, such as small apartments the smaller fixed electric heater could be enough.

If your main living space is already equipped with a fixed heating source, such as heat pumps, it might just need an update to ensure it meets the requirements. Certain kinds of heaters cannot be used to meet the standard as they are either expensive, inefficient or unsafe to operate.

Find the complete specifications to the Healthy Homes heating needs.

Ventilation Lyall Bay

Each living space within the rental property should have at least one openable windows or an exterior door to provide natural ventilation. In addition, high moisture areas like kitchens and bathrooms must have a suitable externally vented extractor to eliminate moisture.

A ventilation standard is all about acknowledging how dried air can be less difficult to heat, and that the property that is properly ventilated is less likely to be a victim of mould and damp.

Bedrooms, living spaces, kitchens, and dining rooms are considered liveable spaces. Spaces that connect, such as the hallway aren’t considered living spaces and therefore don’t require an opening window or door.

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

All kitchens and bathrooms, as well as any other space in your property with a bath, shower and cooktop or another water-generating appliance will require appropriate extractor fans that are vented out to the outside. Our Healthy Homes Assessment service will check that there is adequate ventilation throughout the living spaces, including suitable extractor fans in high moisture areas.

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

A cozy dry house is a healthy house

Insulation Lyall Bay

Insulation for underfloor and ceilings is a requirement on all rental houses as of July 1st, 2019. All landlords and property managers have to ensure that the insulation meets this new quality. In certain situations, the current ceiling insulation, or the insulation of the subfloor space may need to be filled with or replaced.

A house that is well-insulated can help control condensation and lower the chance of mould and dampness, and also makes more easy for the household to keep the heat.

Insulation requirements to meet the R-values for your area

The "R" signifies thermal resistance and is a measure of how well the insulation can withstand heat flow. The more high the R-value, higher the standard of insulation.

• Zone 1 Zone 1 Auckland & Northland Ceiling R 2.9 in the underfloor, 1.3
• Zone 2 – the remainder part of 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

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

Lyall Bay Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Making sure your rental property is protected from dampness isn’t just about the interior of the building it’s also about the outside. You must make sure there is somewhere for surface and ground water to go and also stop it from getting inside. When it concerns damp and moisture it’s often what you don’t see that could be a huge problem, causing damage to your investment and harming the tenant’s well-being.

Properties that are rented must be equipped with efficient drainage to remove storm water, surface water, and ground water, including an appropriate outfall or runoff. Making sure that the water is able to go, and it doesn’t get sucked into buildings is a vital aspect of making sure your property is dry.

In addition to an irrigation system to stop moisture from entering, if your rental is enclosed between your flooring and the surface, a ground moisture barrier must be put in place when it’s reasonably practicable to install it.

An underground moisture barrier generally a sheet of polythene that is placed over the ground, to block any moisture in the ground from entering the property. It also assists in preventing from causing damage to the flooring insulation.

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

Is your rental a Healthy Home?

Rental Property Home Assessments Lyall Bay

The areas of rental property that are affected to Healthy Homes Standards. Healthy Homes Standard in Lyall Bay include each:

• Living Room
• Bedrooms
• Dining Room
• Bathroom
• Kitchens
• Laundry

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Lyall Bay for Rental Properties

There are numerous things to look over during the house evaluation to determine if your rental property is in compliance with all the basic requirements of Healthy Homes Standard. A few examples are:

• Is the sub floor space protected and does it have a moisture barrier in place?
• Do you think the ceiling insulation need replacement or topping?
• Do you think the heating system has enough capacity?
• Are there enough drainage and draught-stopping?
• Does the home have sufficient ventilation including extractor fans?

The consequences of not having an Healthy home that is in compliance with the Residential Tenancies Act and consequently falling on the wrong side of the ruling on tenancy solutions ruling can be extremely costly for property owners and landlords. For specialist advice, call today to book your rental property home evaluation.