Workers Accommodation

Are you providing accommodation for a worker to live in during their employment?

Common examples of this are sharemilker or contract milker accommodation, and seasonal worker accommodation.  These arrangements are considered a “Service Tenancy” under the Residential Tenancies Act.

All the Healthy Homes Regulations for rental properties – including ceiling & underfloor insulation and ground moisture barrier requirements – apply to these dwellings.

What might we need to do?

• Ceiling Insulation – We will check to see if  current ceiling insulation is less than 70mm thick, if it is then it will require upgrading.
• Underfloor Insulation – Check any existing insulation to ensure it is in good condition and is compliant. If there is no underfloor insulation, then it will need to be installed to meet the minimum standard.
• Ground Moisture (or Vapour) Barrier – Check if your accommodation has a suspended floor (e.g. on piles) and under the regulations is considered enclosed – in which case a ground moisture barrier may be required.

In some cases, your accommodation might be exempt from some of the requirements, for example:

• if an experienced installer cannot access the ceiling or underfloor without substantial building work; or
• the ceiling or underfloor cannot be accessed without causing substantial damage to the premises; or
• if access to these areas is too low and accessing it creates unreasonable risk to the health and safety of a professional installer.