Healthy Homes Standards
Advice, inspections, and compliance for rental properties
Landlord looking for advice?
We help make sure the home you’re renting out is warm, dry and meets the Healthy Homes Standards (HHS).
These standards create warmer drier homes for tenants, improving their health outcomes and resulting in lower maintenance costs for landlords.
We’ll assess your rental against all HHS requirements and quote for any remedial work — from $150+GST.
What are the Healthy Homes Standards?
The Healthy Homes Standards are the minimum standards for heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage, and draught stopping in rental properties. All rental properties must comply with the healthy homes standards unless an exemption applies.
Landlords are responsible for ensuring their properties meet the standards and continue to over time.
For a full breakdown of your obligations as a landlord, Tenancy Services have a handy info pack.
HHS at a glance:
Moisture & drainage
Adequate drainage, guttering, and downpipes. Properties with enclosed subfloors must have a ground moisture barrier.
Insulation
All properties must have ceiling and underfloor insulation that meets minimum requirements for R-value/thickness.
Ventilation
All habitable rooms must have an openable door or window to outside. All kitchens and bathrooms must have extractor fans.
Draught stopping
Unreasonable gaps or holes in walls, ceilings, windows, floors and doors, that cause noticeable draughts, must be blocked.
Heating
The main living room
must have one or more acceptable fixed heater(s), that can heat the room to at least 18°C.
The inspection process
1.
2.
Our trained assessors will go through our process, tailored for your home. We check for all aspects of the HHS requirements.
On completion of an assessment, you will be provided with an “HHS Compliance Certificate” which will tell you which standards the property has met and which, if any, are non-compliant.
3.
We will provide you with a personalised quote to bring any non-compliance up to standard*.
After work is completed using our services, we will provide you with a Compliance Certificate free of charge. If you choose to have work carried out by your own tradespeople, we can provide a recheck and compliance certificate for $125 + GST.
*The only things that we don’t quote for are draught-stopping and drainage–but we can still assess both. Once you have had any remedial work completed, and can show it is compliant, we can update your report free of charge.
Pricing
Healthy Home Standards inspections are priced based on the size of your dwelling. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Each inspection includes up to 3 bedrooms. Additional bedrooms +$25 per room for apartments, or +$50 for room for all other properties.
High rise apartments
$150
+GST
All other properties
$250
+GST
Rechecks (if necessary)
$125
+GST
Book an assessment
Ready for a healthier rental home?
Our industry trained Home Performance Advisors will visit, assess your setup, and recommend improvements for a healthier, more energy-efficient home for your tenants.
• Qualified home assessors
• Personalised, honest advice
• Full supply and install available for remedial work
As a not-for-profit, every dollar you spend with us goes towards funding our community programmes.
We’re part of the Community Energy Network (CEN), a group of organisations dedicated to delivering effective energy-efficient solutions for warmer homes, job creation and healthier communities.
FAQ
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Our inspections take around one hour, depending on the size of the property, topography, and access.
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Assessments are carried out by industry trained Home Performance Advisors. Our team have years of experience in Wellington houses and are well-versed in the complexities of our unique geography.
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If a standard is found to be “non-compliant” during the assessment, we will provide you with a personalised quote to bring it up to standard. Remedial work undertaken by Sustainability Trust will be completed by qualified electricians and trade qualified insulation installers (IAONZ).
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We’ll provide a compliance statement after your inspection.
If work is needed, we will provide you with a Compliance Certificate free of charge if you choose to use our services.
If you choose to have work carried out by your own tradespeople, we can provide an updated certificate upon a recheck.
