Healthy Homes and what you need to know!
by Adam Smith
The next Healthy Homes deadline is now upon us with the critical deadline just 8 months away. If you haven’t been too concerned about it, the clock is ticking louder, and it is now time you started taking action on ensuring your investment property is compliant.
The key dates to consider are:
1 December 2020 – all new tenancy agreements and lease renewals need to include a Healthy Homes statement of compliance (summarising what is and isn’t compliant).
1 July 2021 – all rental properties must comply with the Healthy Homes standards within 90 days of a new tenancy agreement.
1 July 2024 – all rental properties must fully comply with the Healthy Homes standards.
A reminder of what the Healthy Homes standards are
There are essentially 6 factors that need to be checked and actioned to ensure compliance which are:
- Heating
- Ventilation (both in the bathrooms and kitchen)
- Ground Cover (prevent moisture/damp rising)
- Drainage
- Insulation
- Draught Stopping
Getting compliant
The next step after the assessment is getting your rental property fully compliant. Once an assessment is completed we can help by having our trusted maintenance team get your property compliant.
If you are looking to assess your rental property yourself, you need to use the statements provided here from Tenancy Services, but there are some useful online calculators to refer to as well.
In the long run this will ensure safer properties, healthier homes, lower maintenance costs and we believe, increase rents and property values for the landlord.
But also it will make life easier for tenants to keep their homes more comfortably warm and dry, keep their families healthier and be more inclined to stay longer in quality property they can call ‘home’.
For more details on the guidelines, you will find the official breakdown here from Tenancy Services.
If you have specific questions, please get in touch with our teams in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and give you a helping hand, or put you in touch with assessors that can help.
