Healthy Homes Assessments
Resultz Group New Zealand has completed several thousand Healthy Homes Inspections since June 2020.
So it’s fair to say we have the process down-pat. Our experienced technicians are trained to audit rental properties against the five Healthy Homes standards.
What’s more, our assessments are impartial and independent. Given we are not affiliated with any insulation and heating companies, or any building contractors, you can be assured of unbiased findings.
We do not profit from any subsequent costs that may be incurred to bring your property up to standard. The assessment provided to you is reflective of what the property represents.
Contact your nearest Healthy Homes Inspection team.
How It Works
A Health Homes Assessment Technician will visit your property and complete a full external and internal audit. They can also give you an indication of the findings at the time of the assessment. Healthy Home Assessment standards are very specific, and so it helps to have some talk through what’s required to meet them.
After the assessment, they’ll go away and prepare a comprehensive report of the audit. You will be provided with this report, which is technically referred to as a Compliance Statement. An example of this is provided in the attached Compliance Statement.
If work is required to bring your property up to compliance, the Compliance Statement will document what specifically needs to be done.
Once all work is completed to the required standards, an updated Healthy Homes Assessment Compliance Statement is issued. You then attach this to the Tenancy Agreement.
In addition to the Healthy Homes Assessment, your Resultz technician will carry out a complimentary Smoke Alarm Audit. This is also a requirement of the Residential Tenancy Act.
What is a Healthy Home Assessment?
Approximately 600,000 New Zealander rent, a number which is rapidly increasing.
Meanwhile, research-based in New Zealand concludes that our rental stock is of poorer quality than owner-occupied homes.
So while the number of Kiwi’s renting continues to increase, the quality of our rentals are not.
Poor quality housing is often riddled with dampness and mould, both of which can lead to negative health outcomes for tenants.
Healthy Home Standards
The Healthy Homes Standards introduce specific and minimum standards in rental properties for: Insulation, Heating, Ventilation, Moisture Ingress and Drainage, and Draught Stopping.
These standards will help ensure landlords have healthier, warmer and drier homes for tenants while lowering maintenance costs for their investments.
A Resultz Healthy Home Assessment is a comprehensive audit of your rental property completed by our experienced team to ensure you meet the current level of healthy homes requirements.
Healthy Home Standards
The Healthy Homes Standards help ensure landlords have healthier, warmer and drier homes for tenants while lowering maintenance costs for their investments.
Insulation
Heating
Ventilation
Moisture Ingress & Drainage
Draught Stopping
Healthy Homes Inspections
The healthy homes standards are now legislation and all residential rental properties are required to comply with the standards. Healthy Homes Inspections measure compliance.
The healthy homes standards are part of the Residential Tenancies Act. It requires all rental homes to comply with the following regulations by July 2021.
- Insulation
- Heating
- Ventilation
- Moisture ingress and drainage
- Draught stopping
What is Required to Meet Healthy Homes Assessment Requirements?
The Healthy Homes Standards (HHS) cover five standards, as outlined below.
The main living room must have one or more fixed qualifying heaters, which provide at least the required heating capacity to heat the main living room to at least 18°C and be capable of maintaining this temperature during the coldest days of winter.
The new regulations clarify the requirements for heating devices – some will not meet the requirements under the heating standard as they are inefficient, unaffordable or unhealthy.
A heating assessment tool is used to determine the heating capacity required for the main living room at rental premises, including a boarding house. When used correctly this tool will confirm if existing heating devices will meet the standard or what heating options will meet the heating standard if installed.
There is an online heating assessment tool you can use to help you calculate the heating requirements for the living room in a rental home. You’ll need measurements of your living room walls, floor, windows and ceiling to help you work out your heating requirements.
The minimum level of ceiling and underfloor insulation must either meet the 2008 Building Code, or (for existing ceiling insulation) have a minimum thickness of 120mm and be in reasonable condition with no dampness, damage or displacement.
The new regulations also specify where insulation exemption applies. Insulation requirements differ according to your region and are measured by R-value. ‘R’ stands for resistance – how well insulation resists heat flow.
The higher the R-value, the better the insulation. Minimum R-values vary across New Zealand.
Ventilation must include openable windows or doors in each habitable space. The windows or doors must comprise at least 5% of the floor area of that space.
An appropriately sized extractor fan or rangehood must be installed kitchens above an indoor cooktop, and in rooms with a bath or shower.
If a rental property has an enclosed subfloor space, it must have an on-ground moisture barrier, which will stop moisture from rising into the home.
Moisture is a big factor contributing to dampness in a home. Not only can this lead to health problems for occupants, it can be damaging to the house. Risks to health can be negated with adequate moisture control.
“Poor quality housing, particularly cold and damp houses, is linked to the following diseases: Asthma, Respiratory, infections, Rheumatic fever, Cardiovascular disease, Respiratory illnesses and infections, including asthma, bronchiolitis, pneumonia, bronchiectasis, tuberculosis.”
Source –aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
The standards reinforce existing law that says landlords must have adequate drainage and guttering.
Any gaps or holes in walls, ceilings, windows, floors and doors that cause unreasonable draughts must be blocked.
As a part of this requirement, landlords will have to block the fireplace or chimney of an open fireplace unless the tenant and landlord agree otherwise.
