Landlords may face fines for violating Healthy Homes standards starting July 1. However, one sector adviser said the penalty was too low.
Under the Healthy Homes standards, rental properties must meet the five requirements according to Tenancy Services, part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment:
- Heating
- Insulation
- Ventilation
- Moisture ingress and drainage
- Draught stopping
Landlords who breach the standards can be fined up to $7,200. But the founder of Tenancy Advisory, Sarina Gibbon, said, “It is not much at all when you weigh up the interests between the tenant and the landlord.”
“I get asked a lot about if I think the standards are fit for purpose. Their purpose is not to deliver healthy homes. Their purpose is to set minimum standards of habitability for rental properties,” Gibbon said.
“If the sector was serious about ensuring homes were healthy, we need practical incentives to support healthy living behaviours.”
Gibbon pointed to the requirement for a fixed heating source in the lounge—commonly a heat pump—as an example.
“But there is no point putting in a heat pump if the tenant isn’t going to turn it on.”
“So we’ve got to decide if we are serious about making rented homes healthy, or are we just ticking boxes? ”
For Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka, the tribunal has the authority to impose penalties exceeding $7,200.
“It can award compensation or order work to be done up to a value of $100,000.”
Potaka said it could order the payment of exemplary damages up to $7,200 where a landlord fails to meet obligations in respect of cleanliness, maintenance, smoke alarms, the healthy homes standards, or buildings, health, and safety requirements.
The tribunal may also mandate that landlords carry out repairs or maintenance to ensure the property meets required standards within set deadlines.