On 26th July, Andrew Little’s Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill passed its second reading. This Bill will provide minimum standards for heating, insulation, ventilation, indoor temperatures, drainage and draught stopping in rental properties.
However there is reason to be sceptical, as these requirements for homes are already specified under existing housing regulations.
The only new issue in the Bill is the requirement for landlords to maintain their property at a minimum indoor temperature, an impractical expectation as the landlord cannot control whether or not tenants are using the heating, the windows and doors are closed and the drapes are pulled.
The Bill will also delay by three years the requirement for all rental properties to be insulated. Clause 2 replaces the 1 July 2019 deadline with the requirement for landlords to comply with insulation standards five years after this Act receives Royal Assent, which would likely be 2022.
For more information, click here to view the Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill.
Quinovic Wellington Property Managers
Article written: July 2017