Everything Landlords Need To Know About The Upcoming “Healthy Home Heating Standards”

There are major changes on the horizon for all landlords in regards to heating their rental properties. What exactly are these regulations, and what are your obligations as a landlord to ensure that your rental property is compliant?

Over the next few years, landlords will be required to install heating device that are capable of heating the main living area of a property to 18 degrees celsius. The heating system not only needs to be able to reach 18 degrees but also sustain that temperature even during New Zealand’s coldest winter months. 18 degrees is the minimum indoor temperature recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ensure a healthy living environment for tenants so that they can stay warm and comfortable all year round.

For the heating system to be compliant with these new regulations, there are specific parameters that the system must fit. It must be a fixed heater (or https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/maintenance-and-inspections/heating-and-ventilation/heaters) that is capable of heating the main living area of a property. The main living area is considered the largest room in the property for general use - usually a lounge, family room or dining room. The heating device must be able to consistently maintain this area at a steady 18 degrees celsius. The heating system itself must be a fixed unit, so a property will not be compliant with portable electric heaters , gas heaters, or an open fire. The heating device must also have a minimum heating capacity of 1.5 kW.

If a rental property already has a qualifying heater that was installed prior 1 July 2019 but will not meet the new regulations, it is possible to use smaller heaters to “top up” the temperature.

As a landlord, your private rentals need to comply with this standard within 90 days of any new or renewed tenancy after 1st July 2021, and all private rentals will have to comply from 1 July 2024. If your property is a boarding house, it must also comply by the 1 July 2021.

In the vast majority of properties, a larger fixed heating device (such as a heat pump) is the ideal solution. The team at Varcoe are Auckland’s leading heat pump specialists since 1975. With a proven track record that expands over decades, they will provide the best advice for ensuring that your rental property is compliant with these new regulations. They are experts in heat pumps and will make sure that your heating system is also a worthwhile investment for your rental property. This is done by coupling knowledge of these regulations, with the highest quality service and heat pumps on the market. Furthermore, Varcoe’s premium products are low maintenance, lowering on-going maintenance costs to you as a landlord, while also being energy efficient to keep the power bill down for your tenants. That’s a win-win situation for both parties while ensuring that your rental property is compliant with the new regulations.

Varcoe can advise you on the perfect sized heat pump for your property to meet these regulations optimally. For more information about your properties' ideal heat pump solution, visit

www.varcoe.co.nz

today.

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