New Zealand healthy homes standards have been reviewed and amendments are now in full force.
It is incredibly important before you proceed with the tenanting of your property, that you are aware of your obligations under the Healthy Homes Act. This piece of legislation has been in effect for some time with additional changes that came into force 12 May 2022 to make allowances for heating, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage requirements.
Heating standards for rental properties
The new heating formula applies to:
Properties built to the 2008 building code
Certain apartments which are part of a residential building of at least three storeys and have six or more commercial or residential units
Properties where the insulation and glazing has been installed throughout, so that it now meets or exceeds the 2009 insulation and glazing standards.
Buildings that are not apartments and are not built to the 2008 Building Code requirements for insulation and glazing will still need to comply with the current Healthy Homes Standards heating requirements.
You can use the heating assessment tool to calculate the heating requirements in your property. Found on the tenancy services website.
What do the Healthy Home Standards mean for my property?
The changes to the heating standard mean that smaller heating devices can be installed in properties that meet the above criterion. Living room heaters that were installed prior to 2019 that are within 80% of the required heating capacity will also be deemed to meet the heating standard.
In addition to the heating formula, the ventilation standard is also amended to enable the use of continuous mechanical ventilation that extracts outdoors from kitchens and bathrooms. The change will apply to systems installed in properties that received building consent on or after 1 November 2019.
Meeting the Healthy Homes Standards
To help buildings subject to the new heating formula transition into these new changes, private landlords who have a compliance date after 12 May 2022 will be granted a revised deadline to meet the heating standard — they will need to comply by 12 February 2023.
For more information about the healthy homes standards, please download the document below which outlines your full requirements as a landlord.
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