Healthy Homes Compliance Statement Deadline Moved to December 2020

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Compliance Statement Deadline for Healthy Homes has Moved

The compliance Statement deadline for Healthy Homes was pushed out to 1 December 2020. The Government has changed the date from 1 July to 1 December 2020 in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, reflecting the decreased opportunities for landlords to carry out inspections during this time.

The change means that the requirement for a Landlord Statement of Compliance to be provided with all new, varied or renewed tenancy agreements (unless the agreement is fixed term and ending prior to 1 July 2021) has been delayed.  However the overall deadline for all private residential properties to meet the full list of regulations has not changed and remains at 1 July 2021.

Crockers recommends that landlords should be actively having their properties assessed and brought up to standard as soon as possible. As the July 2021 deadline moves closer it will be harder to engage contractors to carry out the work as demand will outstrip supply, as was experienced in July 2019 when the insulation standards came in. At that time landlords faced two to three month delays and there was a shortage of insulation. Meeting the Healthy Homes standards prior to the deadline – or better still, the Home Fit standard – will help to positively mark out your rental home and attract good tenants. 

If you are unsure what the requirements for the Healthy Homes regulations are for an apartment, or have any other concerns regarding the new regulations, the Crockers Property Management team are experts in this area.

Funding the work necessary to complete the upgrade can be of concern to some owners.  ANZ and Westpac are currently offering customers interest-free home loan top ups to help make their homes warmer and drier. These loans are only available to existing (or new) mortgage clients of the banks. In all cases quotes and invoices must be provided and eligible services must be fitted by qualified installers.

ANZ is offering an interest-free home loan top up of up to $5,000 for insulation and up to $5,000 for heat pumps for each residential property that secures your home loan, with a maximum of four interest-free loans per customer. Loans must be fully repaid within four years.

Westpac’s Warm Up loan is available to existing or new home loan customers. Customers can borrow up to $10,000 interest free for five years to help make their homes warmer and drier. The loan funds insulation, heat pumps, double glazing, ventilation and solar power systems.

All loans are subject to standard bank application processes.

For general advice on the NZ Healthy Homes Standards and what you need to be doing to meet the deadlines on time, contact the Crockers team today.

Read more about Healthy Homes Standards and its requirements at our Healthy Homes Hub.