Posted on 03 05 2023
Keeping your home warm and healthy
As we know by now, the Healthy Homes Standards have come into effect. This consists of insulation, moisture ingress, ventilation, and heating. There have been new standards that have been set by the World Health Organisation and at Greenside, we are committed to helping Kiwis reach that.
The minimum temperature that the World Health Organisation has set should be 18°C in living spaces and 16°C in bedrooms or sleeping spaces. Keeping your rental up to these standards is key for the health of your tenants. There are a number of benefits for landlords and tenants that have warm homes. Here are a few of those benefits.
- Comfort: Warm homes create a space that tenants will feel comfortable in and ultimately, make them want to stay in that property for longer. In the long run, this can mean saving money by not having to advertise for new tenants so often.
- Compliance: Keeping your rental warm is one of the key components of meeting healthy home standards. By not meeting these standards, you could be faced with a fine or have to go to the Tenancy Tribunal.
- Save money: Having a rental property that is well insulated and meets the standards means the tenants will be using less energy trying to warm up the rooms with heaters etc.
- Improved health: Having a cold property increases the risk of mould growth. This is because once there is moisture in the air, it can condense and settle on surfaces which is a perfect environment to encourage mould growth. This can then lead to respiratory illness, and irritate pre-existing health conditions.
As a landlord, it’s your responsibility to ensure the temperature of your rental meets these requirements. We are here to help if you’re unsure about the property meeting the standards and have plenty of solutions we can offer to help. Get in touch today to find out more.