Keeping your home free from mould and dampness is beneficial to your health, and it’s tenants’ responsibility to keep the rental property well-aired and remove any mould straight away during a tenancy.
How to prevent mould?
Open windows and doors whenever you can and open the curtains during the day
Open windows and use extractor fans during cooking, bathing or drying clothes
Keep lids on when cooking
Wipe condensation off walls and windows
Hang washing outside and keep only a few plants inside
Gas heaters release water as the gas burns, use an electric heater instead
How to remove mould?
White vinegar is a cheap and effective way to clean mould. Mix vinegar with water (half and half) to make dilution on painted surfaces. Leave it for a few days then wipe off the dead mould with soap and water using a clean cloth.
You can also use diluted household bleach. Mix one part bleach with three parts water in a bucket of water.
sponge or cloth should be clean to reduce the risk of the mould spreading.
Wear gloves, eye protection and a safety mask when dealing with cleaning products and mould.
Finally, if you’re doing all the right things, and the house is still damp and mouldy, talk to your landlord to check for the hidden sources of dampness.
The most important thing of making correct recycling is to put the right stuff in the yellow bin.
This is a list of the right stuff to recycle. * Clean plastic bottles and containers numbered 1&2&5 They are things like soft drink bottles, milk bottles and family-sized yoghurt and ice cream containers. * Metals: aluminium cans, metal tins or aerosol cans * Clean glass: clear and coloured glass bottles or jars * Clean cardboard and paper: newspapers, flattened cardboard boxes And please also remember to put lids from bottles and containers in the red bin.
Please notice that you may receive a warning letter if waste was not separated from your yellow bin, and you may further lose your right to recycle if you continue to do so after 3-times warnings. The yellow bin will be confiscated by the Christchurch City Council. To get the bin back, you will have to pay $97.65 and sign a statement promising to abide by the rules. Your bin will be monitored to make sure you keep that promise.
Landlords who fail to comply with the healthy home standard requirement, may suffer huge financial losses.
Earlier this year, a couple have been awarded more than $7000 in compensation after their rental was found to have serious mould. The tenants moved out of the property in south Auckland they had been living for years in last December after heavy black mould were found in most parts of . They claimed they had been unable to use four rooms in the six-bedroom, two-storey property for two whole years due to mould, included being unable to use the shower in a bathroom due to a leak and mould. The tribunal found the house was uninhabitable due to the mould from August to December 2019. Besides the heavy black mould and leaking problem, the property also has other issues like lack of smoke alarms, no ceiling insulation and unsafe decks. Finally the tenants were awarded a total of $7773.75 in compensation and a rent refund for the mould, smoke alarms, insulation and decks.
Since 1 July 2019, ceiling and underfloor insulation is compulsory in all rental homes, where it is reasonably practicable to install, under the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2016.
Insulation must meet the correct standards and be installed safely. Wall insulation is not compulsory. Under the 2016 regulations, existing insulation had to meet certain R-values (or ceiling insulation was less than 70mm thick) and be in reasonable condition, unless an exemption applies.
Insulation requirements changes
The healthy homes insulation standard increases the minimum standard for existing insulation. This means that some homes that did not require new insulation under the 2016 requirements may require a ceiling insulation ‘top-up’ or new underfloor insulation under the healthy homes standard.
The healthy homes insulation standard requires all rental homes to have insulation consistent with the 2008 building code or, for existing insulation it must be at least 120mm thick. If a home has less than 120mm of ceiling insulation, then this must be topped up, or new insulation installed in order to meet the healthy homes minimum R-value requirements.
Landlords who installed new insulation to meet the 2016 requirements will likely meet the healthy homes insulation standard, provided the insulation remains in a reasonable condition. This is because the minimum R-values for new insulation have not changed under the healthy homes insulation standard.
While new insulation is expected to last for decades, it’s a good idea to check that it is still in reasonable condition.
Wear gloves, eye protection and a safety mask when dealing with cleaning products and mould.
