Entry, routine and exit inspections for staff accommodation across Central Otago — with the photographic evidence and compliance records that protect you if things go wrong.
When you provide accommodation as part of an employment agreement, that's a service tenancy — and a service tenancy is a residential tenancy under the Residential Tenancies Act. The same rules apply to your farm cottage as apply to a rental in town.
That catches a lot of good employers out. You're running a farm, not a property portfolio. But the obligations sit with you either way, and they don't go away because the arrangement is informal or because nobody's complaining.
All rental properties must meet the healthy homes standards. There's no exemption for farm accommodation.
Maximum penalty for failing to meet the standards. A further penalty of up to $500 applies per tenancy where the compliance statement is left out of the agreement.
You must supply your compliance records to a tenant on request — which means you need to have them in the first place.
A written tenancy agreement is required even where no rent is charged. Free accommodation is still a tenancy.
Book one, or put your whole property on a routine schedule and stop thinking about it.
Room-by-room assessment, high-resolution condition photos, chattel and appliance documentation and a 360° virtual walkthrough — a timestamped record of the property before your new staff member moves in.
Regular checks through the tenancy. Photographs and a short video walkthrough every visit, so you catch maintenance issues while they're small and hold a dated record showing you've kept an eye on the place.
Compared side by side against the entry report, with a 360° virtual walkthrough. Fair wear and tear separated from actual damage, with photos backing every line.
Heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture and draught stopping — measured and documented against the five standards, with a clear list of what needs doing.
Before you advertise the role, we'll tell you what the house needs — practical, prioritised, and costed by what actually matters versus what's nice to have.
Prices exclude GST and depend on the number of spaces in the property and travel distance. Multiple houses on one farm are quoted together — tell us what you've got and we'll come back with a firm number.
Farm accommodation is its own thing. Long driveways, mixed-age housing, wood burners, tank water, and a heat pump someone installed in 2009 that nobody has records for.
We know what to look for because we've been inspecting properties in this part of the country for years. We're not going to turn up with a city checklist and tell you your place doesn't fit it.
If you provide a roof as part of the job, this is for you.
Multiple houses, multiple staff, and a whole team turning over on the same day each year. This is where we do most of our work, and where we've built the process around your season.
Usually one or two cottages, often older, often overlooked until something goes wrong. Straightforward, well-priced inspections that keep the house compliant without over-servicing it.
You may be responsible for the house you're in and the ones your own staff occupy. We'll make the handover clean at both ends.
Rural or in town — if you manage your own rental and want the inspection done properly without handing over the whole management, we can help.
Digital, transparent, and built so nothing is disputed six months later.
Comprehensive room-by-room assessment with high-resolution photos, chattel and appliance documentation and a 360° virtual walkthrough.
A secure digital report emailed directly, viewable on mobile, tablet or desktop. Your staff member is asked to review it carefully after moving in.
They have 14 days to add comments and photos and raise any discrepancies. Both sides agree the record up front, which is what stops arguments later.
Retained for both landlord and tenant. It becomes the benchmark for every future inspection and the end-of-tenancy comparison — and the evidence if it's ever needed.
When your property needs work we don't do, we'll point you at people who do it properly.
Brightr handles the healthy homes assessments — a fixed heater in the main living room capable of heating the space to at least 18°C, ceiling and underfloor insulation to the R 3.3 and R 1.3 required in our climate zone, and ground moisture barriers. They work throughout Otago and know what an older farm house needs to get over the line.
Visit BrightrThe government source for everything covered on this site — the healthy homes standards, service tenancy rules, bond lodgement, and the compliance statement template you need for new tenancy agreements. If you'd rather read it straight from the source, start here.
Healthy homes at Tenancy ServicesYes. A house provided as part of an employment agreement is a service tenancy, and a service tenancy is a residential tenancy under the Residential Tenancies Act. All rental properties have been required to meet the healthy homes standards since 1 July 2025. There is no exemption for farm accommodation.
Yes — and it needs to be a separate written document from the employment agreement. A written service tenancy agreement is required even where the employee pays no rent at all.
Keeping the two documents separate matters. The tenancy and the employment relationship are governed by different law, and blurring them together causes problems for both sides when something changes.
You can, but the arrangement has to be clearly set out in the tenancy agreement and the employee must give written consent to the deduction. Get this documented properly at the start — it's very difficult to fix retrospectively.
The house should be left clean and tidy, and a final inspection ideally happens with both the outgoing and incoming occupants present. The service tenancy agreement for the incoming staff member should be signed before they arrive, not after.
Confirm departure and arrival times so the two parties aren't trying to occupy the same house on the same afternoon — it happens more often than you'd think.
An entry inspection records the condition of the property before someone moves in. An exit inspection records it after they leave, and is compared directly against the entry report.
The entry inspection is the one people skip, and it's the one that matters most. Without it there's nothing to compare the exit report to, and any claim for damage becomes one person's word against another's.
You're not required to take a bond, but if you do take one it must be lodged with Tenancy Services within 23 working days of receiving it. Holding a bond yourself isn't an option.
You need to keep the documentation that shows how your property meets each of the healthy homes standards, and you must be able to supply it to a tenant within 21 days of them asking. New or renewed tenancy agreements also need to include a signed healthy homes compliance statement.
Records are the thing most employers are missing. The work has often been done — the insulation is in, the heat pump is installed — but there's no paperwork proving it.
We work across Central Otago. If you're not sure whether you're in our patch, give us a call — if we can't get to you we'll usually know someone who can.
Still got a question? Ask us directly — no obligation, and we won't put you on a mailing list.
Tell us where you are and how many properties you've got. We'll come back to you with a firm quote and a time that works around your season.
