Is your house healthy?
🏘☔️🫧🧤A warm and dry home should be between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius, and humidity should be between 40 to 60 percent.
👉Here are some key things to check in your home:
🔎Is there floor and ceiling insulation?
🔎Does your home have gaps that cause draught?
🔎Is there a window, door or skylight in each room that can be opened to the outside and remain open?
🔎Is it free from mould or signs it could be damp?
🔎Is there a qualifying fixed heater in the main living room? (a fixed heater that has a heating capacity of at least 1.5kW)
As of 1 July, all private rental homes must now meet the Healthy Homes standards for residential tenancies. The standards cover heating, ventilation, insulation, moisture and drainage and draught stopping.
For more details on key things to look out for, getting your home checked against the standards, and what to do if your home does not comply, visit: cab.org.nz/article/KB00000893
Original post from Citizens Advice Bureau NZ: cab.org.nz
Here's what you need to know before making an offer on a house
🏠 What is the neighbourhood like?
Familiarise yourself with the neighbourhood, to check accessibility to public transport, schools and shops. Visit the street at different times of day, to find out how quiet or noisy it gets. Check with the local council whether they know of any future developments in the area that could increase noise or traffic.
🏠 How much are the rates and insurance?
Do a property search on the local council’s website to see what the rates are.
You can also get quotes from insurers to find out what it might cost to insure it.
Check whether the homeowner is paying off the cost of installing insulation or heating units through their rates, because you will inherit that debt if you buy the house.
🏠 For a unit title, check the pre-contract disclosure
If the property is on a unit title development (for example, an apartment), ask to see the pre-contract disclosure. This is basic information about the unit and the unit title development.
🏠 Get a LIM (Land Information Memorandum) report
A LIM report tells you everything the local council knows about the land and the buildings, for example, what building consents and code compliance certificates they have issued for work done on the property.
🏠 Pre-purchase building inspection
Get an independent building inspector to examine the house thoroughly and look for potential problems with weather-tightness, wiring, plumbing or the foundations (piles).
Ask them to check for features that might make maintenance more difficult. For example, some types of wall claddings need specialist knowledge to maintain, access to the gutters might not be straightforward, and retaining walls can be expensive to repair.
🏠 Check the property title
Ask a lawyer or conveyancer to check the property title for things like easements. For example, an easement might allow a neighbour to access part of the property. The property title should also confirm the property boundary.
More information is on the Settled website:
www.settled.govt.nz...
Image credit: Ray White New Zealand
Info credit: Citizens Advice Bureau: cab.org.nz
Time to Tickle Your Thinker 🧠
If a zookeeper had 100 pairs of animals in her zoo, and two pairs of babies are born for each one of the original animals, then (sadly) 23 animals don’t survive, how many animals do you have left in total?
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Poll: As a customer, what do you think about automation?
The Press investigates the growing reliance on your unpaid labour.
Automation (or the “unpaid shift”) is often described as efficient ... but it tends to benefit employers more than consumers.
We want to know: What do you think about automation?
Are you for, or against?
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9.6% For. Self-service is less frustrating and convenient.
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43.2% I want to be able to choose.
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47.1% Against. I want to deal with people.
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