Katrina Green – Ray White Morris and Co | Property Management Operations Manager
Further Regulation of Rental Properties
2020 is set to be another busy one in property management with the latest round of tenancy legislation, Healthy Homes Standards, due to come into effect on 1st July 2020. The first part of the legislation requires all new or renewed tenancy agreements to contain a statement of intent to comply with the Healthy Homes Standards.
This means that rental property owners and property managers need to sign off saying that their property either a) already complies with the five components, or b) is aware of what work is required, and undertakes to have this completed within 90 days following 1st July 2021 for existing tenants, or before 1st July 2021 for new tenancies. It is important to note that Tenancy Services advise that accurate records providing things like photographs and receipts must be kept, so that if required they can prove the property does in fact comply.
We are recommending to our owners that they employ professionals to assess their properties and supply a report which will sign the property off as compliant, or advise what needs to be done to comply. And this needs to be done sooner rather than later to avoid the inevitable rush!
The five components of the Healthy Homes Act are: 1. Insulation 2. Ventilation 3. Draughts 4. Drainage and, 5. Heating
It is important for landlords to understand that although they will likely have previously had reports completed on the insulation in their rental property, this is new legislation, so new reports are required. And of course as previously, failure to comply will potentially result in fairly substantial fines.
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