It’s time to make sure your rental properties are up to the Healthy Homes Standards.
There were rumours that the Healthy Homes deadlines might be changed, but that hasn’t happened.
So, the deadline is still 1 July for including a statement of your property’s current level of compliance with the Healthy Homes Standards in any new,
renewed or varied tenancy agreement. Then compliance with the standards starts from 1 July 2021 (see all the deadlines here).
These deadlines are fast approaching, so it’s imperative to get your properties assessed and compliant to avoid the tenancy tribunal and fines for
non-compliance. With the move back to Level 3, Healthy Homes assessments can be performed, and work done on your properties.
So, what should you look for if you need to get a Healthy Homes assessment done on your rental property?
Who should assess your property?
There is no legal requirement for who can assess your property. However, there are advantages to having an independent and qualified assessment carried
out.
Independence is important because there is no conflict of interest with the outcome.
And, if your property is assessed by a qualified person, such as a builder or home performance advisor, they can waive requirements if they are impractical
to achieve.
One way assessors can become qualified is through HomeFit, which was created by the New Zealand Green Building
Council to help people understand how healthy their home is and support them to improve it.
HomeFit Assessments
A HomeFit assessment is more in-depth than a Healthy Homes assessment, but it does have some important advantages.
Firstly, it provides an independent, unbiased, third party check on the quality of your property, including whether it meets the Healthy Homes Standards,
and is backed by a not-for-profit industry body.
You receive a clear report showing your property’s compliance with the Healthy Homes Standards and areas that need to improve. Also, as well as checking
whether the home complies with the Healthy Homes Standards, HomeFit offers a full assessment of additional key health and efficiency features,
including smoke alarms and energy-efficiency.
The HomeFit certificate you receive when property passes certifies that it is warm and healthy, and can be used when marketing your property. For example,
if your property passes, the report goes onto LIM, which will add value to your property. Some property websites also show a HomeFit logo to identify
homes that have been certified.
Don’t wait
Finally, don’t wait to get your Healthy Homes assessments done.
It is a legal requirement to comply with the Healthy Homes Standards, and inevitably there will be a rush as the deadlines get closer. Additionally,
the Level 4 lockdown has wiped out over a month and created a backlog of assessments and work to bring properties up to standard. So, I’d recommend
booking yours in now.
Do you have any questions about the Healthy Homes Standards or what you need to do to get compliant? The team at NZ Healthy Homes is more than happy
to help you through the process, and all our assessors are certified by HomeFit. You can contact me at [email protected].
Making Houses Homes
This is a sponsored blog article by Stephen Hegh of NZ Healthy Homes. Sponsored articles are a way for APIA members to share their views and advertise their services. These articles do not necessarily reflect the views and position of the APIA.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steve Hegh
Steve is the director of NZ Healthy Homes as well as a long time APIA member. He holds the following qualifications/accreditations: NZQA Methamphetamine
30892,30893,30894, BOHS IP402 Asbestos Survey and HomeFit Assessor NZGBC.
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