The Healthy Homes Standards have been updated with improvements to the heating, ventilation, and moisture ingress and drainage standards.

One improvement is a new formula for the heating standard, that applies for modern dwellings built after 2008 and certain apartments.

The formula change recognises that these types of properties are better at retaining heat.

The heating assessment tool has also been updated to calculate the required minimum heating capacity using both the new and original formula.

The Tenancy Services website has been updated to include these changes.

https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/healthy-homes/changes-to-the-healthy-homes-standards/

Wild weather can cause damage at your rental property. Find out what to do if your rental needs repairs after extreme weather or a natural disaster.

Landlords are responsible for maintaining the property in a reasonable condition. This includes fixing any damage caused by severe weather or a natural disaster.

Find out what to do if you are a tenant or a landlord here:

https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/about-tenancy-services/news/damage-because-of-weather-events/

A question many owners find themselves struggling to answer….

If you’re a tenant, you’re responsible for keeping the property reasonably clean and tidy. This includes mowing the lawns and weeding the gardens. There are many tenants that do a great job of maintaining their sections. However most struggle to keep them at an acceptable standard.

Some things that may help you decide whether to include section maintenance are:

• Tenants are more likely to accept rent increases, as there is a regular reminder that the landlord is taking care of the property.
• Having your property maintained by a professional ensures a great first impression when we re-lease your property in the future
• Tenants don’t need to worry about handling lawn care, and the landlord knows it is getting done right. 

Any arrangement regarding lawncare and gardening should be detailed in the tenancy agreement and discussed before the tenant’s term starts and be monitored over time. 

The Privacy Act 2020 governs how agencies collect, store, use, disclose, and give access to personal information. As a landlord or property manager, you need to comply with the Privacy Act. Personal information covered by the Privacy Act is any information that tells you something about a specific individual.

Landlords can only collect personal information in ways that are lawful, fair, and not unreasonably intrusive The Privacy Act is organised around 13 information privacy principles.

Click the link to explore each of the privacy principles https://www.privacy.org.nz/privacy-act-2020/privacy-principles/

Fair wear and tear refers to the gradual deterioration of things that are used regularly in a property when people live in it.

A tenant is not responsible for normal fair wear and tear to the property or any chattels provided by the landlord when they use them normally. The tenant is responsible for any intentional or careless damage.

An example of this would be where a stove element wears out from normal cooking. This is fair wear and tear. However, if the stove was being used to heat the kitchen and stopped working properly, this would not be considered normal use.

Examples of what is usually considered fair wear and tear are:

• flooring getting worn
• taps and washers in the kitchen, bathroom or laundry wearing out or leaking

 Examples of what is not normally considered fair wear and tear are:

• burn marks or drink stains on the carpet
• drawing on wallpaper

You can find out more on damages and repairs at https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/maintenance-and-inspections/repairs-and-damages/

In December the team at T And T Property Management jumped on board with Healthy Families Invercargill to support the KiwiHarvest Food Drive to help distribute food to vulnerable families in Southland over the Christmas period.

KiwiHarvest collects good, nutritious food before it goes to waste and distributes to frontline agencies, helping to feed our most vulnerable. Locally the demand for KiwiHarvest’s donations has been very high. They are now 18 recipient organisations benefiting from KiwiHarvest’s food distribution on a weekly basis, with even more organisations receiving donations from time to time and others on the waiting list.

We had many many items donated by our tenants, suppliers and locals that had seen our posts online. We were so thrilled to be a part of the Food Drive and were very grateful to each and everyone of those that donated to such a great cause. Knowing that many of our vulnerable families would be fed over Christmas and received a Christmas they deserved filled our hearts.

You can check out the amazing work KiwiHarvest do by visiting their website.www.kiwiharvest.org.nz

Heading away for the Christmas break? While this can be a very exciting time we also need to think about the safety of your home and possessions while you are away.

Here are a few things to make sure you return home with all your belongings still in place.

• Ensure that you have switched off the gas and have electric appliances unplugged with the switches turned off at the wall.

• Burglars will often look for signs like boots and shoes left by the front door to see who lives in a house. Even when you are away, leave a few pairs of shoes by the door, including man sized boots

• Check carefully that all your windows and doors are well secured before you leave your home

• Tell a trusted neighbor that you’ll be away. See if they can check on your home and take your mail and packages inside your home, or even park a car in your driveway to make it look like someone is still home

• Don’t leave valuable items in places, where they can be seen through a window. 

There are many appliances that we use in our homes – also many that we use daily. The high end areas are usually in the kitchen, and laundry. Appliance such as ovens & stove, fridge, dishwasher etc.

You might be surprised to know how much each one of your electrical appliances costs to run. Being aware of which everyday household appliances have higher running costs is a good way to avoid higher energy bills. Check out the link below for a guide on house hold appliances and their power usage.

If you’re shopping for a new whiteware appliance, TV, fridge or heat pump, you’ll see an Energy Rating label prominently displayed on the products.

The label shows a simple star rating – the more stars, the more energy-efficient the appliance. The label also features an annual energy consumption (kWh per year), calculated from average expected use.

Stock your cupboard with white vinegar, baking soda, and lemons and let’s get to it!

Baking soda for oven cleaning – A paste of baking soda and water cleans ovens without the chemicals or the hassle of the self cleaning cycle. Just make a paste on the bottom of the oven, leave for a few hours and wipe off for a shiny, chemical free oven.

Microfiber – Microfibre cleaning cloths are so effective at removing dirt that you don’t need to use detergents and other chemicals to get things spotless.

Clean the dishwasher – Fill a dishwasher safe bowl or jar with 2 cups of vinegar and set on the top rack of the dishwasher. Run through on a hot cycle with no other dishes in the dishwasher to clean and remove the musty odour.

Clean toilet without chemicals – Dump a cup of baking soda into the toilet and let it soak for at least an hour. Pour in a cup of white vinegar, leave for five minutes and flush. (Unless the toilet is really dirty, this will clean it without scrubbing).

Lemon for stains – Get stains off your bench or cabinet by wetting the stain with lemon juice, let sit for 30 minutes or so, and then sprinkle baking soda on the abrasive side of an all-purpose kitchen sponge and scrub the discoloured area. Most stains will vanish, and your kitchen will smell fresher.

Cleaning windows – Newspaper! Use newspaper to clean your windows without streaks

Thinking about purchasing an investment property? Here are some hot tips to consider when shopping for an investment property.

Schools – When it comes to families looking for rental properties the schooling opportunity is one of the primary elements that families look for. Having a property in an excellent school zone, you will likely receive a high number of quality applications and likely long term tenants.

Amenities – Take a tour of the prospective neighborhood. Are there amenities nearby that offer convenience and entertainment? Shopping centres, restaurants, cafes, gyms and recreational parks within a short distance.

Financially worthy – Just because you can buy a rental property doesn’t mean it’s worth it. You won’t know just by looking at a property, though. You need to know its condition, value, and the cost of any work it may need.

Already tenanted – One of the best rental properties to buy is the one that’s already rented. If you can buy a home with tenants in it and the home in good condition, you don’t have to worry about investing more money in the property.

Location – There are a few factors that will determine your experience as a landlord as much as the neighborhood where your rental property is based. The area you buy in will influence the types of tenants your property attracts and your potential vacancy rates.