Everybody wants to live in a healthy home, but sometimes sadly, it is not possible for many.
However, If you can afford to do the upgrades on your home, then it is considered highly beneficial and worthwhile for the health benefits you will gain for you and your family.
Rental properties in New Zealand now must comply with the Healthy Homes Act.
New rental tenancy agreements must have a compliance statement attached which shows the progress a property manager or landlord has made towards meeting the standards on heating, ventilation, insulation and other healthy homes requirements under the law which became law in New Zealand in July 2019.
Healthy Homes Standards
All homes should be built to achieve these standards, not just rental homes you would hope, as surely it is important that our children grow up in a healthy, warm home without moisture or poor ventilation.
Preventing draughts from gaps in window frames and doors should be easy enough to fix, but it is often something we forget about, until a very cold, windy evening or miserable rainy day.
Your property should have efficient drainage for the removal of stormwater, surface water and groundwater.
Mosquitos and other bugs like stagnant water and will congregate in some climates.
Under New Zealand law, rental properties with an enclosed sub-floor space must also have a ground moisture barrier.
A healthy home should have windows that open in the living room, dining room, kitchen and bedrooms.
Kitchens and bathrooms should have extractor fans to remove moisture from cooking and bathing.
Sufficient heating should be provided too.
Take a look here at the Healthy Homes standards.
You will also find a Ventilation tool here
Use this tool to find out if you need to install new extractor fans in the kitchen or bathroom (any room with an indoor cooktop, bath or shower) of your property to meet a healthy home standard.
I guess that today in 2021, anything we can do to make our homes healthier would be welcome.
©2021 women-in-realestate.com|Author|Kathryn