Annual Property Compliance

An annual Healthy Home compliance check up reduces risk.

It is a requirement under the regulations to ensure your property continues to meet the Healthy Home Standards during a tenancy. 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 and run checks on the heating devices.

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?
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 Annual 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 an annual 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 at least once a year, 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

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

Heat pumps get a lot of use over the year and that can mean filters get clogged, fins get bent or blocked and any number of other issues which mean the heat pump doesn’t work as effectively. Have you ever looked at the warranty terms on your heat pump? It is possible that a warranty claim may be denied if a unit isn’t regularly serviced. That’s where this service comes in.

Who needs to?
Heat pump owners

Why do you need to?
To maintain warranty requirements on the product
To keep the machine working

What happens if you don’t?
Your heat pump may not be covered under warranty should you find any faults with it
The machine may not be working to its potential

Advantages
Having your heat pump serviced as part of an annual subscription makes it one less job you need to remember each year! Also, if you’re having this done along with other services in our annual compliance subscription packages then you’ll be saving money as well.

Disadvantages
There aren’t any! Let us take the hassle out of heat pump maintenance for you.

Whether it’s a rental property or your own home, cleaning extraction fans and rangehoods can be one of those messy jobs. Cleaning the filters at least once a year will help them work more effectively.

Who needs to?
In rental properties, it is the tenant’s responsibility to keep fans clean but some landlords decide to have the cleaning added to their annual subscription to ensure the fans are working properly and keeping their assets free of excess moisture.

What happens if you don’t?
Dirt, cooking fats and lint can build up in filters which stops the fans from doing their job, it can also start to build up in the inner workings of the unit if it isn’t cleaned regularly, decreasing the life of the product.

Advantages
Keeps on top of a dirty job, ensures your products work effectively

Disadvantages
If the fans are in a rental property then it is the tenant’s responsibility to keep them clean, so if you’re a landlord then this is money you don’t have to spend. However some choose to do it to ensure the job is done properly and the fans are able to work as they should.