Healthy Homes Guarantee Act standards announced

[flyernzl]

True
"1 July 2024 – All rental homes must comply with the HHS."

But
""1 July 2021 – From this date, private landlords must ensure that their rental properties comply with HHS within 90 days of any new, or renewed, tenancy.""

[Learning]

True
"1 July 2024 – All rental homes must comply with the HHS."

But
""1 July 2021 – From this date, private landlords must ensure that their rental properties comply with HHS within 90 days of any new, or renewed, tenancy.""

So you can push it out to 2024 by doing only 89 day tenancies. 😋

[Keys]

..........................

[sidinz]

Quick question: existing periodic tenancies don't need to comply with the Healthy Homes requirements till 1st July 2024?

Existing as of which date?

Quite a large loophole, they've got there. And two classes of tenants: new ones, who apparently deserve 'healthy' homes, and existing ones, who don't.

[Bob Kane]

Existing as of which date?

When this came in - was it 1st July?

[artemis]

When this came in - was it 1st July?

The following is from the Tenancy Services website. I take it to mean that if there is no new, varied or renewed tenancy then 2024 is the effective date to comply.

From 1 July 2020
Landlords must include a statement of their current level of compliance with the healthy homes standards in any new, varied or renewed tenancy agreement.
From 1 July 2021
Private landlords must ensure their rental properties comply with the healthy homes standards within 90 days of any new, or renewed, tenancy.
All boarding houses (except Housing New Zealand and Community Housing Provider boarding house tenancies) must comply with the healthy homes standards.
From 1 July 2023
All Housing New Zealand houses and registered Community Housing Provider houses must comply with the healthy homes standards.
From 1 July 2024
All rental homes must comply with the healthy homes standards.

[Bob Kane]

That's the way I read it - I've got 5 years.
That's two elections away - Jacinda will be gone by then.

[flyernzl]

Unless, of course, you tenant departs after 1 July 2021 but before 1 April 2024.
Then you only have 90 days.

[artemis]

Next question - what counts as a varied tenancy agreement requiring compliance statement. A rent increase as below. Change of tenant? Change of landlord? Change of body corp rules? What else? Not a huge issue but it's all getting increasingly complicated.

RTA s24(3) A notice of an increase in rent lawfully given under this section shall, unless it is withdrawn by the landlord, have the effect of varying the tenancy agreement in accordance with the terms of the notice.

[flyernzl]

The generally accepted wisdom is that over the next few months supply all existing tenants with the insurance information.
Nothing to say that you are not allowed to supply that info before it is required.

[Spoook]

I have just been through the mill of the "heating assessment tool" for my rental. It informs me I need 4.5kW heater/s.
That means 4.5 units of power per hour.
At my own current price of 26c per unit that would equate to $1.17 per hour to run. For an average of 4 hours a night that would be just under $5 per day, an average of $140 per month.
I can see that happening with many tenants .... NOT.

[crashy]

"that means 4.5 units of power per hour"

No, it doesn't.
If it's really cold and it's running flat out, at a COP of 4 it's using 1.1 units per hour. If it's only mildly cold it's probably using 0.5

[Wayne]

It's a heat pump Spoook, so heat out doesn't mean power in as crashy says.
So on your figures probably $20-$30/month tops.

[Spoook]

Sorry, not a heat pump, just a heater/s, type not yet chosen.

My intention is to install two heaters in different areas of the large "living space". It will then be the tenants choice to have one or both heating the area.
I am stunned the "heating assessment tool" says I need such a large heating unit/s, 4.5kW. This is a fully insulated, double glazed, north facing hence getting the sun all day, other rooms above and below, unit.

[Wayne]

Sorry, not a heat pump, just a heater/s, type not yet chosen.

4.5kw heater - wow. So short sighted.
Is that even allowed under the rules? I refer to this

if the main living room’s required heating capacity is more than 2.4kW, the heater must not be an electric heater (except heat pump), unless it is used to top up an existing heater that was installed before July 2019

Using electric heating to ‘top up’ existing heating
If you are adding a new heater to a room with existing heating, each heater must meet the general requirements for heaters. There is one exception, which is that you can add a smaller fixed electric heater to ‘top up’ your existing heating if you meet all of the following conditions:

you installed your existing heating before 1 July 2019

1. each of your existing heaters meets the general requirements (see list on previous page) and is not an electric heater (except for a heat pump)
2. the required heating capacity is more than 2.4 kW
3. the ‘top up’ you need is 1.5 kW or less.