What are the Healthy Homes Standards in NZ?
Short answer
The Healthy Homes Standards are minimum requirements that all rental properties in NZ must meet — heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture-ingress and drainage, draught stopping. The compliance deadline for all private rentals was 1 July 2025. Boarding houses had different timelines. Non-compliance exposes landlords to Tenancy Tribunal penalties up to $7,200.
Source: Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019. Updated May 2026.
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Check a builderKey facts
- Five standards: heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture, draughts
- Full compliance for private rentals: 1 July 2025
- Boarding houses had separate (earlier) timelines
- Compliance statement must be included in every new tenancy agreement
- Tenancy Tribunal penalties up to $7,200 per breach
The five standards in plain English
Heating: a fixed heater in the main living room of sufficient capacity (calculated to a formula). Plug-in heaters don't count.
Insulation: ceiling and underfloor at minimum prescribed R-values; condition matters (no gaps, no compression, no dampness).
Ventilation: openable windows, plus extract fans in kitchen and bathroom venting outside.
Moisture: ground moisture barrier under suspended floors; adequate drainage; no significant leaks.
Draughts: gaps around windows and doors sealed; unused fireplaces blocked or removed.
If you're a landlord
Every new or renewed tenancy agreement from 1 July 2025 must include a Healthy Homes compliance statement specifying which standards each property meets and how. Generic 'fully compliant' isn't enough — the form has detailed fields.
If you can't make the property compliant, you can't lawfully rent it — and a tenant can apply to the Tenancy Tribunal for remedies including rent reduction and compensation.
Knowing the rules is half the job. The other half is knowing who you're hiring. Check any NZ builder against the public record: company status, licensing and insolvency notices, from the official NZ sources.
Sources: Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019; Tenancy Services — tenancy.govt.nz. General information for NZ homeowners, not legal advice. Building rules change and vary by council, so confirm critical details on the official source before acting. Last updated 2026-05.