Healthy Homes

Healthy Homes Standards – What you need to know!

As the changes in legislation kick in for rental properties we want to make sure you understand what it means to be a landlord.  

There are 5 key changes that need to be addressed for your rental property to get the Healthy Homes tick.

1. Heating – A fixed source of heat that can warm the main living room to 18deg year-round.
2. Insulation – Compulsory since 1st July 2019, make sure insulation meets the new standards set.
3. Ventilation – Liveable spaces have an opening door or window, bathrooms and kitchens need to have an extractor fan that removes moisture.
4. Moisture ingress and drainage – Efficient drainage for the removal of stormwater, surface water and groundwater. Rental properties with an enclosed sub-floor space must have a ground moisture barrier.
5. Draught stopping – Unreasonable gaps that cause draughts must be fixed this includes walls, ceilings, windows, skylights, floors and doors. Also, unused fireplaces closed off or chimneys correctly blocked.

Know your Dates!                                                        

• 1st July 2020 – Landlords must include a statement of their current level of compliance with the HHS in any new, varied or renewed tenancy agreement. Statements are mandatory, failure to comply will result in financial penalties for landlords by way of Tenancy Tribunal fines and compensation awarded to any affected tenant. The financial penalty for an incomplete statement is $500 minimum.
• 1st July 2021 – Private landlords must ensure their rental properties comply with the HHS within 90 days of any new or renewed tenancy.
  – All boarding houses (expect Kāinga Ora, formerly housing Nz, and community housing provider boarding house tenancies) must comply with the HHS.
• 1st July 2023 – All Kāinga Ora houses and registered community housing provider houses must comply with the HHS.
• 1st July 2024 – All rental home must comply with the HHS.

Ray White Lynx Property Management has you covered!

Stage 1 – Provide a statement concerning all 5 areas of the HHS to new or updated tenancy agreements

• The statement will include information about the properties current level of compliance with the HHS. The statement will cover heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage and draught stopping. This statement is specific and will include evidence and measurements. We will work with our preferred Healthy Homes assessors to carry out all assessments. As this falls well outside of our Property Managers roll there is a cost to the property owner.

Stage 2 – To ensure rental properties comply with all new HHS.

• The deadline for this was 1st July 2021, our HH assessors report will state whether the property complies with the new HHS or what work needs to be carried out for the home to comply.
• We will be arranging to have a report produced for each property we manage unless landlords opt-out. This will help you plan ahead and create an action budget plan for the work that is required to meet HHS. We strongly advise against opting out as it could be more costly in the long run.

Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms must be installed in all Residential rental properties..

What Sort of Smoke Alarms need to be Installed?

• Where there are currently no smoke alarms, long-life photoelectric alarms will need to be installed. Long-life alarms cannot have their batteries easily removed, and are more cost-effective over time because batteries do not need to be replaced every six to 12 months. If a property has existing smoke alarms that are not long-life photoelectric, landlords will not need to replace them immediately. But when they do need replacing they must be replaced with long-life photoelectric alarms.

Is the Landlord or Tenant Responsible for Changing Batteries?

• It will be the duty of the tenants to replace smoke alarm batteries. While the responsibility for battery replacement in standard 9-volt battery alarms would remain with the tenant, the need to replace batteries would reduce over time as landlords replace existing alarm types with long-life ones.

We currently work closely with ALL CLEAR

• As a Landlord your Tenants safety is the top priority. To protect the Tenant and your property it is recommended to have working smoke alarms installed and maintained as per manufacturers specifications.
• All Clear undertake services to ensure that your properties smoke alarms are installed and maintained to Building Code and Compliance of New Zealand.

Click on ALL CLEAR and Tenancy Services logos to head to their websites for more information: