Insulation requirements - Tenancy Services

1 Insulation | 0800 Tenancy (0800 836 262)MINISTRY OF BUSINESS, INNOVATION & EMPLOYMENTINSULATION requirements A GUIDE FOR LANDLORDS2 First edition, reprinted in 2015 by Ministry of Business, Innovation and EmploymentPO Box 10-729 Wellington New ZealandThis document is also available on our website: can copy all or some of this guide only if you are using it for education or public information, and you say it came from us. You cannot copy any of this guide in any way for commercial use, and you cannot keep it in a retrieval system unless you ask us 978-0-947524-55-5 (print)ISBN 978-0-947524-56-2 (online)Printed in New Zealand on paper sourced from well-managed sustainable forests using mineral oil free, soy-based vegetable (10/19)TENS 4794 ContentsAbout this guide 4 Things to do 5 Things not to do 6 Assessing Existing Ceiling Insulation 7 Rule of Thumb for Ceiling Insulation Installed before 1 July 2016 7 Damage and Degradation 8 Gaps 8 Addressing dampness 9 Existing Underfloor Insulation Installed before 1 July 2016 10 requirements for Insulation Installed after 1 July 2016 11 Ceiling Insulation 11 Underfloor Insulation 12 Exceptions 13 Inaccessible roof spaces 14 Inaccessible subfloors 16 Low

2 roof Clearances 17 Apartments & Multi-Units 17 Outbuildings & Garages 17 What is not exempt 17 Habitable spaces outside the main dwelling 17 MINISTRY OF BUSINESS, INNOVATION & EMPLOYMENTINSULATION requirements A GUIDE FOR LANDLORDS4 About this guideThis Guidance provides advice about how to assess reasonable condition for Insulation installed in residential rental properties to comply with the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (RTA), and the Residential Tenancies (Smoke Alarms and Insulation ) Regulations 2016 (the Regulations). The performance of any new Insulation that is installed into a rented home must meet or exceed the requirements contained within the Regulations. From 1 July 2016, all rented homes where tenants receive an Income Related Rent Subsidy, such as those provided by Community Housing Providers or K inga Ora (formerly Housing New Zealand), must meet the minimum Insulation requirements .

3 From 1 July 2019 all other rented homes covered by the RTA must also meet the Insulation requirements . This guidance provides a simple visual test for landlords and tenants to check the condition of existing Insulation materials which are likely to be found in roof spaces and under suspended floors. Where there is any doubt as to whether the Insulation complies with the minimum performance requirements , the landlord or tenant may wish to ask a reputable Insulation installer to make an assessment. This legislation allows Landlords to retrofit Insulation in accordance with NZS 4246:2016; however, Landlords may choose to employ a reputable installer where they have any doubts about achieving the required quality of installation, or where there is any doubt about whether exceptions apply.

4 More information on installing Insulation can be found at: and tenants you need to know your rights and responsibilities for keeping a warmer, drier and safer more at requirements A GUIDE FOR LANDLORDSMINISTRY OF BUSINESS, INNOVATION & EMPLOYMENT5 Things to doSafety First!Before inspecting the Insulation ceiling and underfloor make sure that the area is safe. > Read NZS 4246:2016 free to access through the Tenancy website.> Make sure the space is safe before you enter it. If you are entering the subfloor, particularly if it has foil Insulation , turn the power off at the mains to reduce the chances of electrocution see the New Zealand Electrical Code of Practice, NZECP 55, for more information. > Take safety precautions wear safety equipment, including gloves, dust mask, overalls, protective eye and footwear.

5 > Be careful when using ladders see this factsheet from ACC for advice on how to use them safely.> Make sure that someone is nearby and able to assist if you need help.>Stand on the framing when you are moving around the roof space to avoid damaging or falling through the ceiling.> Make sure the required clearances are in place for items that get hot, such as downlights, downlight transformers and flues. Ensure that open downlights are free of potentially flammable debris such as loose fill Insulation if you find some debris, call a licensed electrician. > Get a professional installer in if you have any doubts about the existing Insulation or whether Insulation can be installed safely and effectively.> If a professional installer installs new Insulation , ask for a certificate or similar to show that they have installed it in accordance with the RTA requirements .

6 Keep this with the maintenance files for the property.> Install the Insulation according to the instructions of the manufacturer and NZS 4246 1: Timeline for the rollout of Insulation requirements under the Residential Tenancies July 2016 Rented homes with tenants receiving the IRRS must have Insulation which meets or exceeds the minimum new Insulation installed into rented homes (whether income-related or not) from this date must meet or exceed the higher requirements for newly installed landlords must declare the extent of Insulation in their rental properties on new Tenancy Agreements from this July 2019 Privately owned rented homes must have Insulation which meets or exceeds the minimum OF BUSINESS, INNOVATION & EMPLOYMENTINSULATION requirements A GUIDE FOR LANDLORDS6 Tips> To improve the performance of the Insulation you may wish to consider changing older downlights.

7 Many modern downlights allow Insulation to be fitted right up to them, and others even allow Insulation to be put over them. Seek advice from a licensed electrician.> Check the price per square meter of Insulation before you buy. You may be able to get a product with a higher R-value (higher performance) for less than one with a lower R-value.> It is often cost competitive to get a professional installer to do the Insulation for you due to their ability to bulk purchase Insulation .> Check for subsidies and assistance not to do> Don t touch foil without turning off the power at the main switchboard but proceed with caution, as in some instances the foil may still be live See NZECP 55 for more information.> Don t enter hot roof spaces wait until it s cool, and take a water bottle with you.

8 Take frequent breaks out of the roof space.> Stay out of spaces where there are known health and safety hazards asbestos dust, poorly installed electrical wires, or sewerage contamination. Get these sorted out first.> Don t go into spaces that are too small or hard to exit.> Don t fill required safety clearances, around downlights, over downlight transformers, or around flues or chimneys.> Don t tamper with the electrics if you think you ve damaged something or a wire comes loose, call a licensed requirements A GUIDE FOR LANDLORDSMINISTRY OF BUSINESS, INNOVATION & EMPLOYMENT7 Assessing Existing Ceiling InsulationRule of Thumb for Ceiling Insulation Installed before 1 July 2016 The following Rule of Thumb is designed to help people assess whether the existing Insulation is likely to comply with the RTA requirements .

9 This applies to homes that have had Insulation installed before 1 July 2016. Most homes built after 1978 should have had Insulation installed that was specified to meet the above Construction R-values when it was installed the specifications should be on the building permit documentation at your Local Council. Homes built after 1978 with Insulation which met thermal requirements at the time of construction are likely to still comply with the Regulations provided the Insulation is in reasonable condition. This Rule of Thumb has been created for the most common types of older ceiling Insulation materials glass fibre Insulation , and macerated paper Insulation . It may also be applied to blown wool Insulation . Most common types of older Insulation would have been at least 100mm thick when new1, however some settlement or compression can be expected for older insulation2.

10 In general, all areas of ceiling Insulation should have a thickness greater than 70 mm above all accessible habitable spaces, as shown in table 2. Table 1: Minimum levels of ceiling and underfloor Insulation (Element Construction R-value) required at the time of installation for Insulation installed before 1 July 2016 for rented MINIMUM (Solid construction, including concrete block, single-skin brick etc)TIMBER- FRAMED and other construction minimumCeiling R R R R For a list of generic R-values for new Insulation material, see (accessed 14/6/2016)2 Durability requirements for building elements, including Insulation , were brought in as part of the New Zealand Building Code on 1 January 1993. The performance criteria of Clause B2 Durability of the New Zealand Building Code currently requires building elements must, with only normal maintenance, continue to satisfy the performance requirements of the Building Code for the lesser of the specified intended life of the building, if stated, or (a) The life of the building, being not less than 50 years, if: (iii) Failure of those building elements to comply with the building code would go undetected during both normal use and maintenance of the OF BUSINESS, INNOVATION & EMPLOYMENTINSULATION requirements A GUIDE FOR LANDLORDS8 Table 2.