Healthy homes standards – what a landlord needs to know
Find out about the healthy homes standards, what you need to do to comply, and when you must do it by.
About the standards
The healthy homes standards, which became law on 1 July 2019, introduced minimum standards for heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage, and draught stopping in rental properties.
Landlords are responsible for ensuring their properties meet the standards and continue to do so over time.
The standards will help tenants to keep their homes warm and dry and help you to achieve cost savings in the long-term maintenance of your property.
The healthy homes toolkit for landlords
Do you need help to meet the standards? Use our healthy homes standards toolkit for landlords. It includes a guide about the standards and easy to use checklists to help you get up to standard and stay that way.
Why the standards are important
More than 600,000 households rent in New Zealand, and research tells us that our rental stock is poorer quality than owner-occupied homes. It also shows a link between cold, damp and mouldy homes and poorer health, particularly for illnesses such as asthma and cardiovascular conditions.
By improving the quality of rental homes, New Zealanders who rent will experience improved health, as well as lower medical costs and lower levels of hospitalisations. Warmer and drier homes are also less likely to have issues with mould or mildew damage, better protecting a landlord’s investment.
When you need to meet the standards
All rental properties will need to comply with the healthy homes standards by 1 July 2025.
Until then, you must make sure that your rental meets the standards within certain time frames. The time frame depends on what type of tenancy it is, or when a new tenancy starts or is renewed.
It could be that it should already comply with the standards.
Use our decision tool to find out the compliance date for your property.
Full details on the compliance timeframes
Compliance timeframes decision tool
Once you meet the standards, you’ll need to maintain them over time. See our tips on keeping up to standard
What are the standards?
Heating
Landlords must provide one or more fixed heaters that can directly heat the main living room. The heater(s) must be acceptable types and must meet the minimum heating capacity required for your main living room.
Insulation
Ceiling and underfloor insulation has been compulsory in all rental homes since 1 July 2019. The healthy homes insulation standard builds on the current regulations and some existing insulation will need to be topped up or replaced.
Ventilation
Each liveable space must have a window or door that opens to the outside and can be fixed in the open position. Kitchens and bathrooms must also have an extractor fan to remove moisture.
Moisture ingress and drainage
A rental property must have efficient drainage, guttering and downpipes for the removal of stormwater, surface water and ground water.
Where there is an enclosed sub-floor, a ground moisture barrier is required.
Moisture ingress and drainage standard
Draught stopping
Landlords must block any unreasonable gaps or holes, in walls, ceilings, windows, floors and doors, that cause noticeable draughts.
When the standards do not apply
In some situations, a property is not required to meet the healthy homes standards or parts of the standards. This is called an exemption.
Your ongoing responsibility
Once your property is up to standard, you need to make sure it stays that way.
What happens if you don’t meet the standards
Landlords who don't meet their obligations under the healthy homes standards are in breach of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 – and may face consequences, like financial penalties.
What to include in the tenancy agreement
New or renewed tenancy agreements must include a signed statement with details of the property’s current level of compliance with the standards. We have a template you can use for this.
Landlords who don't include this statement when required could face a financial penalty of up to $500 for each tenancy, or other enforcement action.
Use our compliance statement decision tool to find out what you need to include in your tenancy agreement.
What records to keep
Landlords must keep all records and documents that show how they are complying with the healthy homes standards.
These must be made available on request – for example, to the Tenancy Tribunal, or the Tenancy Compliance and Investigations team. Landlords are committing an unlawful act if they don’t supply the records within 10 working days of a request, and do not have a reasonable excuse.
Tenants can also request information about compliance with the healthy homes standards. Landlords must provide this information to tenants within 21 days.
Our page on record keeping has some examples of what you need to keep.
Making a start
If you’ve yet to bring your property up to standard but are not sure where to start, read our healthy homes toolkit for landlords.
Last updated: 18 July 2024
