Healthy Home Standards
The healthy homes standards became law on 1 July 2019.
The healthy homes standards introduce specific and minimum standards for heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage, and draught stopping in rental properties.
All private rentals must comply within 90 days of any new or renewed tenancy after 1 July 2021, with all private rentals complying by 1 July 2024. All boarding houses must comply by 1 July 2021. All houses rented by Kāinga Ora (formerly Housing New Zealand) and registered Community Housing Providers must comply by 1 July 2023.
These standards will help ensure landlords have healthier, safer properties and lower maintenance costs for their investments. The standards will also make it easier for tenants to keep their homes warm and dry.
What Kind of Heating Does my Home Require?
The main living room of your rented property must have a qualifying heater. The heater needs to be fixed to the premises, supply heat to the living room and have a thermostat. A minimum capacity of 1.5kW is required. The heating capacity must be suitable for the size of the room and in accordance with the government’s official calculations.
It also can’t be an open fire, combustion heater, or if the room requires more than 2.4kW of heat, an electric heater. These regulations mean that your home is likely to be fitted with a heat pump which could also result in a reduction of heating bills for the tenants of the home.
How Will I Know if I’ve Got the Right Heater?
One of the easiest and safest ways to ensure you get a compliant heater is to contact us and we will visit your home and provide you with a free quote.* We are heat pump specialists so you can be assured we will select and install the correct heat pump for your space.
What Kind of Ventilation Does my Home Require?
Rental properties must have at least one door or window (including skylights) that opens to the outside in all bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, lounges and kitchens. The openable windows and doors must have a total area of at least 5% of the floor area in each respective room. The windows or doors must be able to be fixed in the open position. All kitchens and bathrooms must have an extractor fan that ventilates externally.
Creating Comfort
The Heat Pump People (a specialist division of Christchurch Electrical) can provide solutions for both heating and ventilation to meet the new requirements without having to go to multiple providers. Contact us today on 03 366 1823 to organise a quotation.
*Free quote is for a consultation with our estimator to discuss heat pump options (charges will apply for a technician to diagnose a fault on an existing system).
