Staying On Top Of The Healthy Homes Standards

03/11/2020

The Healthy Homes Standards became law on 1 July, 2019. The standards are a set of minimum requirements for the quality of rental properties in New Zealand. July 1, 2024 is the date that all rental properties must comply with the standards.

2024 may seem like years away and it may be tempting to push out addressing the standards until you are legally required to do so. But getting on top of the standards early may save you money and stress in the long run. Having an idea of what needs to be done early means you can plan, budget and avoid the last minute hassle before owners start risking fines.

How to prepare for the deadline:

  1. Getting a head start– having an idea of what needs done is a good place to start. As your property managers, we will do our best to check that your properties meet the minimum requirements. If something needs brought up to standard, we will organize the quotes for this to be rectified.
  2. Invest in a healthy homes assessment- a healthy homes assessment will assess your property against the standards. By employing the help of a professional to check calculations, this could prevent any costly mistakes. All that’s assessed is ventilation, draughts, heating, insulation, drainage and guttering and moisture barrier. As of December 1, 2020 you are required to have a document stating the current level of compliance for your rentals.
  3. Keeping a clear record- it’s very important to keep a record of all compliance documents. Whether it be work that has been done or work that is still to be done. We document all compliance information regarding your properties in our system and hard copies on file. When in question this makes it easy to find exactly what we’re looking for.

Although the standards may seem like they’re always changing, we advise to stay on top of them. It can be easy enough to push it to the back of the mind thinking they aren’t required for a few years and before you know it everything needs done at once. Lets be proactive and save both money and stress!