The deadline for landlords to comply with the Healthy Homes statement has been extended from 1 July 2020 to 1 December 2020 due to the delay COVID-19 has caused.

The statement is in addition to the tenancy agreement and outlines how the property meets the healthy homes standards.  It also shows the tenant how the landlord intends to comply in any failed areas. 

The Healthy Homes Bill was passed as law on 1 July 2019 and requires rental properties to be compliant in five areas – insulation, heating, ventilation, draught stopping and moisture ingress and drainage. For more detail on these points, check out our recent blog here.

The deadlines to complete the work for any failed areas have not changed, the only extended deadline is for the inclusion of a detailed statement of current compliance.

Deadlines are as follows

• 1 December 2020 – all tenancy agreements must include a compliance statement
• 1 July 2021 – private landlords must ensure compliance of their rentals with the healthy homes standards within 90 days of any new tenancy, this includes all boarding houses
• 1 July 2024 – all rental homes must comply with the healthy homes standards

Tenancy Services have recently updated the compliance statement from two pages to 13 pages. Unfortunately, this is not something most landlords can tick boxes and sign, it requires a lot of detail and has some lengthy calculations.  For approximately $199 - $250+GST you will find assessment companies who can complete this for you.  It’s a one-off check, once you’ve done it, that’s it and you can rest easy.

As always there are significant fines for non-compliance and it’s really not worth it.  Your property will be far superior with a 100% compliant healthy homes statement, you can use this in your marketing – it will be more sought after by tenants, achieve a good rent and quality tenants will stay long term.  We welcome any queries or questions, please contact us on 0508 RENTAL.