Under this standard, you need to calculate the power of your heaters (in kilowatts). The best way to do this is to use the Heating Assessment Tool.
If you’re buying a New Build, you typically want the property ready to rent by the time you pay for the property (settlement), so you’ll need to get the assessment done beforehand.
If that’s you, it’s often more efficient to pay a company to do it for you.
What can go wrong if you do the Healthy Homes assessment yourself
If you choose to do it alone, there are some risks if you don’t do it correctly.
#1 – Fines
You can get fined up to $7,200 per Healthy Homes category breach. (There are 5 categories).
A breach means your property wasn’t compliant even after you, the investor, declared it was.
#2 – The developer might not believe you
If you find issues with your New Build, developers will often fix them for you. That’s under the 12-month defect period.
This is usually straightforward if a professional identifies the problem; developers listen to professionals.
But, in the past when investors have done these assessments themselves, developers often push back more. There is more debate.
#3 – Harder to hold the developer accountable later on
Let’s say a property owner declares their property as compliant, but it later turns out it actually isn’t compliant.
You might find it harder to get compensation or the issue fixed by the developer if you did the assessment yourself.
That’s because, if you incorrectly say that everything is fine, you might have a harder time holding the developer accountable for defects or problems that arise later.
