Healthy Homes Checklist.
The standards every rental must meet — and how to stay compliant with confidence.
New Zealand's Healthy Homes Standards set minimum requirements for rental properties across five areas. Rental homes must comply unless a lawful exemption applies. Here's what each standard actually covers.
1. Heating
The main living room needs one or more qualifying fixed heaters with enough total heating capacity. Capacity must be established using the Tenancy Services Heating Assessment Tool, the permitted formula or another lawful specialist pathway. Unflued combustion heaters cannot be used to meet the standard.
2. Insulation
Qualifying ceiling and underfloor insulation is required where applicable and must remain in reasonable condition. The Healthy Homes R-values, transitional rules and exemptions apply; this is not simply a check against the current Building Code or insulation thickness.
3. Ventilation
Habitable spaces need qualifying openable windows, doors or skylights unless a permitted lawful-build pathway applies. Kitchens and rooms with a bath or shower need qualifying extraction to the outside or another pathway allowed by the regulations.
4. Moisture and drainage
The home needs efficient drainage for storm, surface and ground water, including working gutters, downpipes and drains. An enclosed subfloor generally needs a qualifying ground moisture barrier unless an exemption applies.
5. Draught stopping
Gaps and unnecessary openings that let cold air in — and warm air out — need to be reasonably blocked. Unused fireplaces and chimneys generally need to be closed off unless being used.
What happens if a property isn't compliant
Non-compliance can lead to Tenancy Tribunal orders and financial penalties, and makes a property harder to rent well regardless — tenants increasingly ask about Healthy Homes compliance directly. Exact requirements, timeframes and any exemptions are set out at tenancy.govt.nz/healthy-homes, which we'd always recommend checking directly for the current detail.
New, renewed or varied tenancy agreements
A new, renewed or varied tenancy agreement must include the separately landlord-signed statement recording the property's current level of Healthy Homes compliance. The current Tenancy Services template also contains the required intent-to-comply statement. The landlord signs the statement in addition to signing the agreement or written change. Use the current Tenancy Services compliance statement.
How we handle it
We assess every property we manage against all five standards, arrange qualified contractors for anything that needs fixing, and keep compliance records on file — so you're never caught out at inspection or by a tenant complaint.
Not sure if your property is compliant?
Choose managed help, or keep your own dated Healthy Homes record and signed tenancy statement pack with our self-managed app.