The Healthy Homes Standards set minimum requirements for rental homes in New Zealand. If you're buying a house to live in, they don't apply to you. If you're buying one to rent out, they do, and the cost of meeting them belongs in your numbers before you make an offer. They also give you a useful checklist for judging the condition of any older house.

What the standards cover

The standards are set under the Residential Tenancies Act and the Healthy Homes Standards Regulations. They have five areas:

  • Heating: a fixed heater in the main living room that can heat the room to a set minimum temperature.
  • Insulation: ceiling and underfloor insulation that is in reasonable condition, where it is reasonably practicable to install.
  • Ventilation: extractor fans or opening windows that let moist air out of the bathroom and kitchen.
  • Moisture and drainage: a ground moisture barrier in any accessible subfloor space, and drainage that stops water pooling under or around the house.
  • Draught stopping: gaps and cracks that let cold air in, sealed where they are large enough to matter.

All private rentals had to comply from 1 July 2024. Landlords are responsible for meeting the standards, and tenants can ask the Tenancy Tribunal to enforce them. The exact wording, thresholds and exemptions are in the regulations, so read those rather than relying on a summary, including this one.

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Why it matters to an investor

Work to meet the standards can cost real money, and it's not always a one-off. Each item is a cost you'd take on at purchase or soon after:

  • A new heater or heat pump in the living room, possibly with ducting or wiring work.
  • Ceiling or underfloor insulation, where it's missing or badly damaged.
  • Extractor fans installed and vented outside, not into the roof space.
  • A ground moisture barrier laid across an accessible subfloor, plus fixing drainage and gutters.
  • Draught stopping in windows, doors and floor gaps.

Ask a builder or insurance broker to price the work before you buy, not after. Some of it may be covered by a building inspection, but a standard inspection doesn't certify compliance with the Healthy Homes Standards.

Reading the house as a buyer

You don't need to be an investor to care about these points. They are the same things that make a home cold, damp and expensive to run. At an open home or on a building inspection, look for:

  • Heating: how the living room is heated, whether the heater is fixed, and what it runs on. Ask for the power bills if the seller will share them.
  • Insulation: whether you can see it in the ceiling space or subfloor, and whether it has gaps or has been removed.
  • Ventilation: whether the bathroom and kitchen have working fans or openable windows, and whether there's mould on the ceilings or around window frames.
  • Moisture: damp smells or stains in the subfloor, pooling water after rain, and the state of the gutters and downpipes.
  • Draughts: gaps around doors and windows, and whether curtains or rugs are hiding cold floors.

The inspector will look at many of these during the building inspection. Ask them to note ventilation, subfloor moisture and insulation specifically, since those are the points the standards focus on.

What to do with the answer

If you're buying to live in, use the list to plan your first-year budget and to judge whether a home will be comfortable in winter. If you're buying to rent, add the likely cost of meeting the standards to your figures, and check whether the rent you expect would cover the work and the ongoing running costs. For the steps that come before settlement, see the building inspections guide and the first home buyer's guide.

The standards and the rules around them are set by government and may change. Check the current requirements on tenancy.govt.nz before you rely on this post for a purchase decision.