What price should we put on good health?
Am I right in thinking that if you are renting a property, and paying good money each week for the privilege one would expect to live in a healthy home?
Landlords have been put on notice after the landlords of a damp, mould ridden home were penalised and fined over $38 000 recently.
Rheumatic heart disease has now been linked to unhealthy damp and mouldy conditions found in some rental properties.
In fact, a recent case found that a child’s diagnosis was linked to the almost uninhabitable living conditions of dampness and mould in their rented home.
The poor child was diagnosed with Rheumatic heart disease and now faces monthly painful antibiotic injections for many years, and the fear of major heart surgery and even early death.
What the law says
There are laws put in place to ensure that rental properties meet healthy living standards.
So there is no excuse for not meeting the requirements, especially if you have been renting the property out in these times of under supply of rental properties.
Most landlords do very nicely when rentals are in short supply, and tenants have no choice but to stay and continue to pay for substandard accomodation.
Read more here
The NZ Healthy Homes Standard
In New Zealand, from 1 July 2021 private landlords must ensure that their rental properties comply with the Healthy Home Standards within 90 days of any new tenancy.
Risks associated with cold, damp and mouldy homes
- Asthma
- Rheumatic fever
- Pneumonia
- Chronic respiratory conditions
- Bronchiectasis
- Cardiovascular disease
- Allergies and fungal infections
If you are renting in New Zealand, The healthy homes standards introduce specific and minimum standards for heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture and drainage, and draught stopping in rental properties.
Read more here
When I was a landlord, I know that I always slept well at night knowing that I was not contributing to any tenant’s ill health. I took pride in keeping the rental property in a condition that was good to live in.
By doing so, it also protected my financial interests, as it was after all an investment.
So it is a good thing that Landlords who unwittingly become slum landlords get taken to task and fined.
It could just be the wake call they need to start doing the right thing by their tenants.
©2021 e-propertymatters.com|women-in-realestate.com| Author| Kathryn
