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Healthy Homes and Compliance
Every residential landlord needs reliable information about the property, the tenancy and the records that support compliance. Healthy Homes requirements are one important part of that responsibility, alongside smoke alarms, maintenance, tenancy documentation, bond processes, access and privacy.
All New Zealand rental properties have been required to comply with the Healthy Homes standards since 1 July 2025 unless a valid exemption applies. Landlords remain responsible for ensuring the property meets the standards and continues to do so over time.
The five Healthy Homes standards
- Heating: qualifying fixed heating must be able to meet the required heating capacity for the main living room.
- Insulation: ceiling and underfloor insulation must meet the applicable requirements unless an exemption applies.
- Ventilation: habitable spaces need qualifying openable windows or doors, with qualifying extractor fans required in kitchens and bathrooms.
- Moisture ingress and drainage: the property must have effective drainage, guttering and downpipes, with a ground moisture barrier required for qualifying enclosed subfloors.
- Draught stopping: unreasonable gaps or holes that cause noticeable draughts must be blocked.
Use the current Tenancy Services Healthy Homes guidance and its landlord toolkit when reviewing a property.
Compliance is more than a certificate
A report or assessment is only part of the picture. Landlords need to keep relevant records, include required statements in tenancy agreements and respond when the property changes or an issue is identified. Heating appliances, extractor fans, insulation, drainage and moisture barriers also need ongoing attention.
Kawakawa and Moerewa properties differ in age, construction, condition and setting. That makes a property-by-property review more useful than assuming that earlier work or an old report remains sufficient.
Other landlord responsibilities to monitor
- Working smoke alarms and property safety
- Accurate tenancy agreements and required statements
- Bond lodgement and updated bond information
- Lawful rent, notice and tenancy-change processes
- Prompt assessment of repair and maintenance requests
- Correct notice for access and routine inspections
- Respect for tenant privacy, peace and comfort
- Reliable records of communication, approvals and work completed
How property management can help
A property manager can organise tenancy records, routine processes and communication, identify information that needs attention and coordinate appropriate contractors or assessments. Property managers are not substitutes for qualified legal, building, tax, insurance or financial advisers.
Our inspections and maintenance guide explains how visible issues can be recorded and followed up during a tenancy. For a wider overview, see our Property Management Services.
Frequently asked questions
Does an older Healthy Homes report remain valid forever?
No document removes the need to keep the property compliant. Changes to the building, heating, ventilation or condition may require the information to be reviewed.
Can a property manager certify compliance?
A manager can coordinate information and processes, but technical assessment may need an appropriately qualified specialist. The landlord remains responsible for compliance.
Where should I check the current rules?
Tenancy Services is the authoritative public source for New Zealand residential tenancy and Healthy Homes guidance. Requirements can change, so use the current official information rather than relying solely on an older checklist.
Complete the form below to discuss how Ray White Kawakawa can support the ongoing management of your rental property.
Use the right resource for the issue
Read the current smoke-alarm requirements alongside the Healthy Homes information; these are separate responsibilities. Our resources on pets in rentals, meth contamination, mould and dampness and selling a tenanted property explain other decisions that need current evidence and the correct process. Start with the rent-ready checklist before a new tenancy.
Can the property lawfully be rented as a home?
Before advertising a converted garage, separate unit or subdivided home in Kawakawa or Moerewa, check the actual consent and permitted residential use. A Healthy Homes assessment does not establish that the premises can lawfully be occupied. If the records are unclear, ask the relevant council and your legal adviser to resolve that question before a tenancy starts. Tenants in unlawful residential premises still have protections under tenancy law. See Tenancy Services guidance on who tenancy law protects.
Plan repair work safely, including asbestos risks
Before drilling, cutting, renovating or demolishing material that may contain asbestos, establish what the planned work could disturb and obtain appropriate specialist advice. WorkSafe explains that a residential landlord must ensure work is carried out safely. Duties to identify asbestos and prepare an asbestos management plan apply when work creates a risk of exposure, for the affected parts of the property. They are not a blanket requirement to survey every part of every rental home regardless of the work. Read WorkSafe’s residential-landlord asbestos guidance and coordinate the assessment, contractor instructions and tenant communication before work begins.
After a flood, storm or other natural disaster
Prioritise immediate safety and follow emergency-service and Civil Defence instructions. Contact the property manager to report the damage, record what happened when it is safe to do so, and obtain professional advice on whether the home can be occupied while repairs are arranged. A routine inspection is not a structural safety assessment.
The extent of damage affects rent and the options for continuing or ending the tenancy. Do not assume an ordinary maintenance request, insurer notification or vacating form settles those decisions. Use the current Tenancy Services natural-disaster guidance, discuss the actual circumstances and record any agreement in writing. Our repairs and maintenance resource explains how to distinguish routine reports from emergencies.