The Government has released draft proposals aimed at improving the quality of rental homes by making them warmer, drier and less draughty.
The proposals are contained within a consultation document that the public can make submissions on, so its likely both landlords and tenants will have plenty to say before the proposals become law.
The proposals aim to introduce minimum standards for rental properties in five areas; heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress, drainage and draught stopping.
The public can make submissions on what the standards should be and when they should be introduced.
Among the options under consideration are whether landlords should be required to provide heating in their properties, and if so, what type of heating that should be and should it be in all rooms or just some rooms.
There are also proposals to set minimum standards regarding dampness and drainage and appropriate levels of draught stopping.
Any new requirements that are introduced will be on top of rules for smoke alarms and ceiling and floor insulation that were introduced 2016 and with which landlords must comply by July next year.
"Improving heating, insulation, ventilation drainage and controlling moisture and draughts will go a long way to improving the quality of rental homes," Housing Minister Phil Twyford said.
"We want to hear from landlords, tenants and any other interested New Zealanders about these proposals," he said.
People have until 22 October to make submissions on the proposals.
53 Comments
Many things should not be considered a luxury, but it doesn't mean it's standard issue, it still has to be earned and paid for. So to pay for the extra level of service and quality in a rental do you think there may be a cost to it Jimbo. And if you don't like paying hundreds of dollars rent how will you feel in future as rents continue to rise fast. Oh but that's just a LL throwing his toys you will say as you have your head stuck firmly in a dark place.
Houseworks, its your head that's firmly wedged in a dark place. If you think Landlords can take it for granted these costs can be passed on - wish again. It's obvious you cannot see further than your bank mortgage statement.
Reality is a certainly a contentious topic for some ;-)
Yes, book a batch, air BnB, Boarders, Home Stay kids, flatmates, etc.
Also the potential long term health cost to children living in owner occupied moldy homes could be very high! I would go so far as to say the the potential health costs to children living in identical houses where one is rented and another is owner occupied could potentially be exactly the same!
If its a business you are obligated to provide goods that are fit for purpose.
Just like lunchbars are require to have food preparation and storage to a required minimum standard and there is no standard required for private homes. One is a business selling that product to others, and one is your own problem if it makes you sick.
Yeah, so wherever there’s a contract or agreement in place, you know, when business is being conducted, then there’s going to be the expectation that business is held to a level of standard.
You’re clutching at straws with your examples though, let’s not ignore practicality for the sake of pushing an argument. For far too long landlords have been able to switch and choose hats to suit themselves.
“No I’m a business so I’ll claim my interest costs against my personal income”. “But it’s my home so no pets allowed, no pictures on the wall” all while renting out complete dumps. The day that an owner occupier can claim interest costs and other expenses from their home against their personal income will be the day I agree with applying the WOF to all homes.
uninterested,
Do you mean that you live in a poorly insulated and heated home? If so,you're an idiot,but that's your affair. Tenants should have access to decent accommodation-and I am a landlord-and my life experience has been that when you treat people well,most respond well. Of course there will always be bad tenants and the system must have adequate measures to deal with them,as it now needs to deal with the all too many bad landlords.
Retired Poppy, yes all our properties we currently own exceed the minimum requirement
The one we haven’t settled on yet needs underfloor insulation which we have booked someone into to look into when we have settled!
We have never had any problem with tenants saying that the house is cold and many of our rentals have more than 1 heat pump.
Healthy homes are a great idea but these rules should be applied to all homes not just rentals, it's suppost to be about health for Kiwi's. Equally if and when a capital gains tax is bought in which I'm for it should apply to everything, all houses, business sales, farms anything of a capital nature. If it was applied to everything it would increase the tax take enormously for re-investing in infrustructure. Studies show a rate around 5% to 7.5% work the best balance. To much targeting of rentals will imbalance the rental pool and have unintended effects on the people who do rent as costs end up at the end of the chain i.e.the person renting
You are free to apply these minimum standards to your own home if you wish. If you don't think the insulation is up to spec then get on the blower and call the owner and tell him the house isn't fit for habitation and you'll be moving out. Threaten to withhold rent payments and take him to tenancy tribunal too.
Should be amusing for your wife & kids to watch you yell at yourself about being a tightass.
What if there's some DHB stats kicking around that show a much much higher proportion of hospital admissions are from people/children who live in rentals? Sure I'm talking hypothetically, but it's still within the realms of possibility that Owner Occupier homes just don't have the same number of people getting sick?
Seriously, many of my friends live in rental houses/flats - and a good 50% of them are grottos - hardly fit for a dog. Too often they are cold/damp/draughty, dark, dirty and smelly.
Anything that raises the standard of rental accommodation in this country ought to be welcomed - especially the worst of the dwellings.
Personally, I'd like to see much tougher penalties for landlords that flout the regulations. Hefty fines would be a good start.
TTP
I’m all for this. The requirements aren’t that difficult to meet and are just the right thing to do. Good heating, ventilation and insulation keeps the house in better condition as it reduces the likelihood of damp and mold, so there is benefit for landlords as well. No doubt some or all of the cost will be passed on through rent increases in the long run though.
Joy oh joy. Keep bringing in these compulsory regulations... keep em coming until it becomes uneconomic ot be a landlord, thereby opening up more opportunity to our rentier class to own instead of rent. If that's the plan...it's a great one. Make home ownership great again!
Ya gotta just shake your head sometimes, dontcha? In all the comments above no one states the stunningly obvious. Our current housing stock is largely made up of dwellings built in a different time and, as with all things consumable, many have exceeded their planned service life. Some have been tarted up to look nice but the bones are still old and the one and only solution is complete replacement to current standards.
It is as simple as this, if your dwelling was not originally built with double glazing it will need to go soon enough. Sure you may be able to offload it to some sucker newbie or slumlord, but they will run out too when they realize it is terminal and that these dwellings are cheap for a reason.
I've always lived in houses with no double glazing and have never had a problem with damp or staying warm. Sometimes I think people expect to wander around their house in t shirts and jandals in the middle of winter, and blame the landlord if they cant. Put a jumper on - its not rocket science.
Where do you live ? all Auckland homes get mould to some level, just take a look on the back of your curtains. We just had to clean ours and the house is elevated and has the entire length North facing. The humidity in Auckland is the problem its 70-90% just about all the time. You have to run dehumidifiers flat out and keep emptying them out every 2 days to keep the moisture levels down. No form of heating or double glazing will solve the problem.
Sure and we would all like to own one.
But in the town of the best Bluff Oysters and chips I knew two people who said they had lived in houses where they could see through the bedroom wall and they didnt mean a window.
There does need to be a minimum standard for tenancies.
This is a typical BRANZ effort, prescriptive, no room for compromise and no onus on the occupier to take reasonable care.
The usual clue for an unhealthy home is mould and it may be enough that the landlord can demonstrate the house when closed,unheated and unoccupied is not mouldy.
The rest could be simply that any occupied room in the house can sustain 18 in mid winter. The assumption is people who are cold or hot can change their clothing
As a luxury there could be one openable secure window, usually bathroom.
They wont do that, its BRANZ.
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