Annual Property Compliance

It is a requirement under the regulations to ensure your property continues to meet the Healthy Home Standards during a tenancy and that the compliance is regularly checked. A number of elements in the property can degrade over time which will lead to non-compliance with the regulations.

We’ll check the insulation levels and condition, ensure the vents are working and ducting is intact, check the guttering and drains,  run checks on the heating devices and ensure no new draughts have appeared.

We recommend this is undertaken at least once every 24 months.

If landlords don’t meet their obligations, they could face financial penalties of up to $7,200. If tenants don’t meet their obligations, they could face financial penalties of up to $4,000.

Who needs to?
Anyone with a rental property that has been assessed previously.

Why do you need to?
If you own a rental property there are certain standards that must be met. These include the regulations surrounding smoke alarms and healthy homes. Ensuring your property meets this once does not fulfil your obligations, you must make sure your property is always meeting the required standards. In the case of Healthy Home Standards you are even required to sign a Compliance Statement at the start of each new tenancy confirming you know the property does still meet all the requirements. Some of this is straight forward. For example once heating is installed, as long as it’s working and you haven’t renovated the property you’ll still meet the standard, but some things deteriorate without you knowing. Insulation gets damaged, drains get blocked or ducting damaged on extractor fans. Our Healthy Homes Check Up will ensure any of these issues are picked up.

What happens if you don’t?
Failure to meet the Healthy Homes Standards can result in significant penalties via the Tenancy Tribunal.

Advantages
Having a Healthy Homes check up completed by Healthy Homes New Zealand will take the pressure off. It’s one less thing to remember and you’ll have peace of mind that your property is getting an independent once-over, ensuring any maintenance requirements are picked up before an issue gets too big.

You don’t have to have used Healthy Homes NZ in the past, as long as you have a copy of a heating calculation that has been completed on the property, you can access this cost effective reassessment service.

Disadvantages
There aren’t any! This is a cost effective way to meet your obligations as a landlord

Working smoke alarms or detectors are compulsory in all rental homes. New smoke alarms must be photoelectric and have a long battery life, or be hard-wired. They must be working throughout a tenancy. With our service you’ll be guaranteed that the alarms are checked at least once a year, or if a tenant changes within the year, we’ll go back again for no extra charge. Then we’ll replace any expired or faulty alarms/batteries all as part of the one annual cost, giving you peace of mind and ticking one more thing off the to-do list.

It’s not only rental properties that need alarms checked annually, everyone should check their smoke alarms at least once a year to be sure you’re protected. If you want us to take care of that annual chore in your home then this is the service for you.

Who needs to?
Landlords must ensure smoke alarms:
– are working at the start of each new tenancy
– remain in working order during the tenancy

Tenants must:
– not damage, remove, or disconnect a smoke alarm
– replace dead batteries during the tenancy if there are older-style smoke alarms with replaceable batteries
– let the landlord know if there are any problems with the smoke alarms as soon as possible.

Home owners should:
– Ensure they have working smoke alarms in their property, with enough installed to provide the best protection.

Why do you need to?
Working smoke alarms are your best defence against house fires, they’ll give you the warning you need to get out safely.

What happens if you don’t?
Apart from the obvious risk to safety of those in the house and the house itself, for rental properties there are potential fines of up to $7200 for not complying with the Smoke Alarm regulations. This means having working smoke alarms installed in the right locations at all times.

Advantages
It’s one less thing on your to-do list and you’ll have the reassurance your house and the people living in it are protected

If you already have an existing annual Smoke Alarm servicing plan, we will honour the remainder of your paid period for the first year and not charge you until the service plan is due to renew

Disadvantages 
There aren’t any! This is a simple way for you to know the smoke alarms in your property are working and are installed correctly

Our Annual Healthy Homes Compliance Bundle is the ultimate service to ensure properties are kept compliant. The service provides all the traditional aspects of smoke alarm servicing plan, with the addition of an annual Healthy Homes assessment. This means you’ll have updated evidence of healthy homes compliance and a new Compliance Statement available every year.

Who should consider this?
Landlords
Property managers

Why do you need to?
If you own a rental property there are certain standards that must be met. These include the regulations surrounding smoke alarms and healthy homes. Ensuring your property meets this once does not fulfil your obligations, you must make sure your property is always meeting the required standards. In the case of Healthy Home Standards you are even required to sign a Compliance Statement at the start of each new tenancy confirming you know the property does still meet all the requirements. Some of this is straight forward. For example once heating is installed, as long as it’s working and you haven’t renovated the property you’ll still meet the standard, but some things deteriorate without you knowing. Insulation gets damaged, drains get blocked or ducting damaged on extractor fans. Our Healthy Homes Check Up will ensure any of these issues are picked up.

What happens if you don’t?
Failure to meet the Healthy Homes Standards can result in significant penalties via the Tenancy Tribunal.

Working smoke alarms are your best defence against house fires, they’ll give you the warning you need to get out safely. They are also a legal requirement under the RTA.

Advantages
Having a Basic Safety Duo bundle in place with Healthy Homes New Zealand will take the pressure off. It’s one less thing to remember and you’ll have peace of mind that your property is getting an independent once-over, ensuring any maintenance requirements are picked up before an issue gets too big.

Disadvantages
There aren’t any! This is a cost effective way to meet your obligations as a landlord