Healthy Homes Assessment Pandora

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 ensure that their Pandora rental properties meet the minimum Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of a renewal or new tenancy and all private rental properties must be fully in compliance by July 1st 2024.

The subjects covered in the Healthy Homes Standards are:

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

We can assess your rental property to check if it meets the NZ Healthy Homes and Residential Tenancy Acts standards. After assessment, we’ll advise you or your property manager about any work required. requirements to be completed and provide an assessment report that includes all the details required for your tenancy agreement’s Healthy Home Statement of Compliance.

Inability to meet the standards under the Healthy Homes Standards is a violation of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and any landlord found to not conforming to the standards could be held accountable for up to $7200 plus any additional healthier homes associated fines.

We are completely independent assessors of rental property, and are completely qualified to assess both Healthy Homes and Homefit.

Call Now 0800 894 138

Rental Property Healthy Homes Fines

Fines for Failing to Comply

As of 1st July 2021, when a brand new, renewed or varied tenancy is signed on a Pandora rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance tasks need to be done inside of 90 days.

As of 1st July 2021, when a new, renewed or varied contract is signed on a Pandora rental property, all Healthy Homes compliance work must be finished inside of 90 days.

Failure to comply with all of the Healthy Homes Standards inside of the deadlines can result in a fine of up to $7200. In addition, if the existing Healthy Homes Statement of Compliance isn’t incorporated in an updated, renewed, or amended tenancy agreement there could be an additional fine or violation fee.

Any tenant can ask for details about the Healthy Homes Standard and how they relate to the home they reside in. If the landlord or the property manager doesn’t provide the necessary information within 21 days from having received the inquiry, they will receive an infringement notice and be fined upto $750.

Furthermore, there’s also a penalty of up to $900 for landlords or property managers who offer a false or inaccurate Healthy Homes Compliance Statement or information. The person responsible for this fine is the person who is named on the lease agreement as the person who is who is letting the property It could also be the name of the landlord as well as the company that manages the property.

The information contained in the Statement of Compliance requirements to be up-to-date when the tenancy contract is executed, and it is updated during the entire tenancy, as necessary work related to it is finished.

It’s crucial to keep in mind that a landlord who manage multiple rental properties may face more severe penalties for not complying. The most severe penalties are given for severe violations, and landlords who own six or more properties could receive fines of up to $50,000, and as much as $100,000 in the case of hearing claims.

It is clear that failure to comply with your Healthy Homes requirements can hit your bank account hard, resulting in large fines in addition to having to continue to comply. Don’t risk your rental property call us now and arrange to have an house evaluation performed on your rental property.

See the full details for this law. Residential Tenancies Act landlords responsibilities.

Healthy homes matter

What is the reason Healthy Homes Compliance so Important?

One in three households the property in New Zealand and Pandora, and research indicates that rental homes are more likely to be colder, older and are not as effective heating, and generally have lower quality than owner occupied properties.

The damp, cold and mouldy homes are associated with negative well-being outcomes, especially for ailments like colds and flu, asthma and heart diseases. In addition, people who experience four or more key house quality problems often experience low life satisfaction and reduced well-being.

Improve the standard of Pandora rental property will allow tenants to enjoy improved mental and physical health as well as lessen disruption to work, learning and daily life due to diseases. Your investment is also better secured from mildew, mould and damp-related damage, which completed jobs in less maintenance costs in the long run.

The Healthy Homes Standard is a list of specific and minimum requirements for heating, insulation, Ventilation, Moisture Ingress and Drainage, and Draught-stopping within Pandora rental properties.

Start now and call about getting a Pandora Healthy Home assessment on your rental property now.

Unreasonable Gaps & Holes

Draught Stopping Pandora

Draughts increase the likelihood of less temperature in houses. A cold home costs more to heat, which means wasting energy and incurring higher costs.

If a draught is noticed from gaps that are not adequate or holes, it requirements to be sealed.

What are unreasonable gaps or holes?

If you can feel external air entering or an unobstructed draught coming from a gap or hole that is, it’s likely a crack or crack that needs sealing in the way you can. Cracks and gaps that are large should be sealed permanently. Gaps greater than 3mm that allow air in or out within the home require seals. In the case of an open fireplace isn’t being used, it can cause draughts and should be sealed from. Property managers and landlords are accountable for ensuring that these draughts are stopped as far as imaginable.

You don’t need to cover up gaps or holes in the construction. For instance, small gaps around windows and doors may be required to allow for movement of the structure when the household heats and cools, to allow them to be shut and opened, rather than sticking. We will examine all windows and doors in your Healthy Homes assessment of your rental property.

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

Proper heating is important to ensure healthy homes

Heating Pandora

Pandora rental properties must have a fixed source of heating which can warm the living space to at least 18degC even on the coldest days of the year. This is the minimum indoor temperature recommended by the World Health Organisation for people’s physical well-being and mental outlook.

The heating source needs to remain fixed (i.e., not portable), at least 1.5 kW in heating capacity, and must meet the minimum required heating capacity for the main living space. A Heating Assessment Tool can be used to determine 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 mobile LPG bottle heaters aren’t considered to be safe heating options in the Healthy Homes Standard.

If the heating that you offer is an electric heater or heat pump it must be equipped with an thermostat. This will help make the heating more uniform and effective. In most houses, larger fixed heating systems such as wood burners, heat pumps, pellet burners or flued gas heaters are required. In certain situations, like small apartment buildings the smaller fixed electric heater might be enough.

If your living space is already equipped with a fixed heating source like heat pumps, it might require an upgrade to meet the standards. Certain types of heaters cannot be used to achieve the quality since they’re either expensive, inefficient and/or unhealthy to run.

See the full details for the Healthy Homes heating requirements.

Ventilation Pandora

Each living space within the rental property should have at least one opening windows or an exterior door to provide natural ventilation. Additionally, areas with high moisture spaces like kitchens and bathrooms need to have an externally vented extractor fan that can eliminate moisture.

A ventilation standard is all about acknowledging that dry air will be less difficult to heat and that a well ventilated rental property will be less prone to developing mould and damp.

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

Each door, window or the skylight requirements for them to be in a position to open up to the outside while remaining at an open angle in order to allow to circulate fresh air as well as ventilation.

The bathrooms in all kitchens and any other area in your home with a bath, shower cooker or any other moisture generating item will need proper extractor fan systems that can be vented out to the outside. We offer a Healthy Homes Assessment service will check that there is adequate ventilation in each livable space, including suitable extractor fans in areas with high moisture.

Find out all the details about The Healthy Homes ventilation quality.

A dry and warm home is an ideal home

Insulation Pandora

Insulation for underfloor and ceilings is mandatory in all rental houses from 1 July 2019. All landlords and property managers should ensure the insulation meets the new quality. In certain situations, the existing ceiling insulation or insulation in the sub floor space may require to be filled with or replaced.

A properly insulated home will reduce the risk of condensation and lower the chance of mould and damp, and also makes more easy to allow the house to keep heat.

Insulation requirements to meet the R-values for your area

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

See the full details of the Healthy Homes insulation standard.

Pandora Moisture Ingress & Drainage

Making sure your rental property is protected from water damage isn’t only about the inside but you must ensure there is somewhere for surface and underground water to flow, and stop it from coming into the building. When it is about damp and water, it’s typically the concerns you don’t notice that could become a major issue, causing damage to your investment and harming your tenant’s well-being.

Rental properties should have effective drainage to get rid of storm water, surface water and ground water, which includes an appropriate runoff or outfall. Making sure the water has a place to go, and that it doesn’t sit beneath structures is an important aspect of maintaining your property’s dry.

In addition to a drainage system to avoid the ingress of moisture, if your apartment has an enclosed gap between floorboards and the ground, a ground moisture barrier must be installed if it’s reasonably practicable to do so.

Ground moisture barriers are usually a polythene sheet laid over the ground to prevent any moisture present in the ground from rising into the home. It also helps to prevent from causing damage to the flooring 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 Pandora

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

• Living Room
• Bedrooms
• Dining Room
• Bathroom
• Kitchen
• Laundry

Checking Your Healthy Home?

Home Assessments Pandora for Rental Properties

There are a myriad of things to check in the house inspection to determine whether 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?
• Do you think the ceiling insulation need topping up or replacing?
• Is the heater equipped with enough capacity?
• Do you have enough drainage? draught-stopping?
• Does the home have enough air circulation, including extractor fans?

The consequences of not having the Healthy Home in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act and consequently getting on the wrong side of the tenant solutions ruling can be significant for property owners and landlords. For professional advice get in touch now and schedule your rental properties house evaluation.