WELLINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's landlords have over one month to ensure their rental properties meet the 2016 insulation requirements or face exemplary damages of up to 4,000 New Zealand dollars (2,596 U.S. dollars).
Tenancy Compliance and Investigations (TCIT) said in a statement on Thursday there will be no room for extensions.
From July 1, a landlord who has not installed ceiling and floor insulation, where reasonably practicable, will violate the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) and may face the Tenancy Tribunal.
"The RTA does not allow for extensions, and this would be unfair to those landlords who have acted in time to do the right thing," said Peter Hackshaw, TCIT's acting national manager.
The requirement to insulate was widely publicized in 2016 when the changes to the RTA were made, and Tenancy Services has worked hard to ensure landlords are aware of their responsibilities by running an extensive information and education campaign, Hackshaw said.
"Landlords have had ample time and information to get the required work done and failing to comply is not only unlawful, but it also exposes tenants to potential harm by not having a home that is warm and dry enough during the winter months," he said.
Any tenant who feels that their landlord has failed to meet their responsibilities to have the correct insulation installed by July 1 can apply to the Tenancy Tribunal for an order resolving that dispute.
The TCIT team will continue to focus on landlords who systematically breach the RTA by failing to properly install mandatory smoke alarms, provide insulation statements, and install insulation, Hackshaw said.
