Healthy Homes Assessment Ngauranga

Rental Property Expert Advice

Healthy Homes Assessment Services

Did you not know that Healthy Homes Standards came into effective on July 1st, 2021? The landlords are now required to ensure their Ngauranga rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of the start of any new or renewed tenancy and all private rentals must be fully certified by 1 July 2024.

The areas covered by the Healthy Homes Standards are:

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

We will assess your rental property to check if it meets the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts requirements. After assessment, we will advise you or your property manager about any work required. needs to be done and provide the report with all the details required for your tenancy contract’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Failure to comply with the requirements in the Healthy Homes Standards is a breach under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and any landlord found not following the rules could be subject to fines of up to $7,200 in addition to any healthier homes relevant fines.

Our company is completely independent assessors of rental properties we are fully certified to assess both Healthy Homes and Homefit.

Call Now (04) 280 6790

Rental Property Healthy Homes Fines

Fines for Failing to Comply

Beginning on July 1st, 2021, when a new, renewed or varied contract is signed on a Ngauranga rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance tasks need to be finished inside of 90 days.

Since the 1st July of 2021, if a new, renewed or varied Tenancy is signed for the Ngauranga rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be completed by the end of 90 days.

Failure to meet one of the Healthy Homes Standards by the end of the deadlines can result in a fine of up to $7200. Additionally, if a currently-in place Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance is not incorporated within the renewal, new or revised tenancy contract, there may be an additional fine or violation fee.

Any tenant may request information about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they relate to the home they live in. If the landlord or the property manager doesn’t supply the required information within 21 days of getting the notice, the tenant can receive an infringement notification and be fined up to $750.

Additionally, there is an additional fine of approximately $900 for landlords and property managers who have provided a false or inaccurate Healthy Homes Compliance Statement or information. The person who is responsible for this fine is whoever is named on the lease agreement as being the person who is letting the property which could be the name of the landlord or the company that manages the property.

All the information on the Statement of Compliance needs to be current before the tenancy agreement can be completed, and should be kept updated throughout the duration of the tenancy when any necessary work related to it is finished.

It is crucial to remember that a landlord who manage multiple rental properties may receive more severe penalties for not complying. The harshest penalties are reserved only for serious breaches. Landlords with six or more properties can be fined up to $50,000 and as high as $100,000 in the case of hearing claims.

In the end, a failure to adhere to compliance with Healthy Homes requirements can hit your pocket with large fines in addition to still having to meet compliance. Don’t put your rental at risk. property, contact us today and make arrangements to have an house evaluation performed for your rental property.

Get the full description of how to apply the Residential Tenancies Act landlords responsibilities.

Healthy homes are important

What is the reason Healthy Homes Compliance important?

One in three households rent in New Zealand and Ngauranga, and research indicates that rental houses are most likely to be older, colder, have less efficient heating and tend to be lower standard than those owned by owners.

The damp, cold and mouldy homes are linked to negative health outcomes, particularly for illnesses like colds, influenza, asthma, and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, people who have reported at least four key home quality issues often suffer from low life satisfaction and reduced psychological well-being.

Improve the quality of Ngauranga rental property will help tenants experience improved mental and physical health, and lessen the disruption to work, learning and daily life due to diseases. Your investment will be secured from mildew, mould and damp damage, meaning lower costs for maintenance in the long-term.

The Healthy Homes Standards are a list of the specific and minimum standards for heating, insulation Ventilation and Ventilation and Drainage, and Draught stopping for Ngauranga rental properties.

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

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Ngauranga

Draughts may lead to low temperatures inside houses. A draughty home is more expensive to heat, which completed jobs in wasting energy and incurring higher costs.

If a draft can be perceived as a result of gaps or holes, it needs to be closed.

What are unreasonable gaps or holes?

If you are able to feel external air getting in, or see the air is clear from a crack or a gap or crack, then it’s probably a gap or an opening that needs sealing in the way you can. Cracks and gaps that are large should be permanently stopped. Cracks that are greater than 3mm and allow air in or out into your house need sealing. For instance, if an open fireplace isn’t used it can create draughts. This must be sealed from. Landlords and property managers are accountable for making sure such draughts are eliminated whenever possible.

You don’t require to cover up holes or gaps in the construction. For example, tiny gaps around windows and doors might be necessary to allow movement of the building when the home warms and cools so that they can still be closed and opened instead of instead of being stuck. We will examine every window and door as part of the Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

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

Adequate heaters are important to ensure healthy houses

Heating Ngauranga

Rental properties in Ngauranga should have a permanent heating source that is able to heat the main or largest living room to at least 18degC, even on the winter coldest days. This is the recommended minimum indoor temperature suggested by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical well-being as well as their mental health.

The source of heating requirements to remain fixed (i.e., not portable) with at minimum 1.5 horsepower in capacity, and it must have the minimum capacity for heating required for the main living room. A Heating Assessment Tool can be used to determine whether the fixed heater(s) are adequate or whether you will need to ‘top up’ with a new heater. Open fires and unflued combustion heaters like portable LPG bottle heaters are not considered to be suitable heating options for the Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating you offer is electric heating or heat source, then it must include the thermostat. This will help make the heating more reliable and efficient. For the majority of houses, bigger fixed heating equipment like wood burners, heat pumps, pellet burners or flued gas heaters are required. In certain situations, like apartments with small spaces, a smaller fixed electric heater could be enough.

If the main living room is already equipped with a fixed heating source, such as an air conditioner, it could require an upgrade to meet the standards. Some types of heaters can’t be utilised to meet the standard as they are either expensive, inefficient and/or unsafe to run.

Check out the complete details to the Healthy Homes heating needs.

Ventilation Ngauranga

Each liveable space in the rental property should contain at minimum one open window or exterior door to offer natural ventilation. In addition, humid areas such as kitchens and bathrooms must have a suitable externally vented extractor fan that can get rid of moisture.

A ventilation standard is all about understanding that dry air will be more easy to heat and that an apartment that is well-ventilated will be less prone to developing damp and mould.

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

Each window, door or the skylight requirements to be able of opening to the outside, and stay closed to allow for fresh air circulation and air flow.

Bathrooms, kitchens, as well as any other space in your property with a bath, shower cooker or any other water-generating appliance will need appropriate extractor fans that vent to the outdoors. We offer a Healthy Homes Assessment service will ensure that there is sufficient ventilation in every living space that includes extractor fans that are suitable in areas with high moisture.

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

A comfortable, dry house is a healthy house

Insulation Ngauranga

Insulation for underfloor and ceilings is required to all rental houses since July 1, 2019. Property managers and landlords should make sure that the insulation is in line with the new quality. In some cases, existing ceiling insulation or insulation in the sub floor space might need to be added or replaced.

A properly insulated home can reduce condensation, and decrease the risk of mould and damp, as well as making much easier for the home to retain the heat.

Insulation needs to meet the R-values for your area

The "R" signifies thermal resistance and it is a measurement of how well the insulation withstands heat flow. The greater the R-value, the better the insulation.

• Zone 1 - Auckland & Northland Ceiling R 2.9 Underfloor R 1.3
• Zone 2 – all area of North Island except Taupo and the Central Plateau – ceiling R 2.9 and floor R 1.3
• Zone 3 - North Island Taupo, Central Plateau and the entire South Island – ceiling R 3.3 below floor R 1.3

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

Ngauranga Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Making sure your rental property is protected from moisture isn’t just about the inside; you have to make sure there is somewhere for surface, rain or ground water and also stop it from getting into the building. When it is damp and moisture, it is usually what you don’t see that could be a huge problem and end up causing damage to your investment and harming the tenant’s well-being.

Properties that are rented must have effective drainage for the removal of floodwaters, surface water, and ground water, which includes an appropriate runoff or outfall. Making sure the 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 a drainage system to avoid water ingress, if the apartment has an enclosed gap between floorboards and the ground, a ground water barrier must be constructed if it is reasonably practicable to install it.

The ground-moisture barrier typically a sheet of polythene that is placed over the ground to prevent any moisture that is present in the ground from getting into the home. It also helps in preventing 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 Ngauranga

The areas of rental property that are affected to the Healthy Homes Standard in Ngauranga include each:

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

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Ngauranga for Rental Properties

There are many things to check when conducting a home inspection to determine whether your rental property is in compliance with all the basic requirements of Healthy Homes Standard. There are a few examples:

• Is the space under the floor covered in insulation and is there a ground moisture barrier in place?
• Is the ceiling insulation in require of topping up? need topping up or replacing?
• Can the unit heat up sufficient capacity?
• Are there enough drainage and draught-stopping?
• Does the home have adequate ventilation? This includes extractor fans?

The repercussions of not having a Healthy home that is in compliance with The Residential Tenancies Act and consequently being on the wrong side of the Tenancy solutions ruling can be extremely costly for property owners and landlords. For expert guidance, contact us today to schedule your rental properties home assessment.