What you can expect in your rental

Heating

A fixed source of heating that's the right size to heat your main living room. 

Insulation 

Ceiling and underfloor insulation has already been required since July 2019. The healthy homes standard is about making sure it meets new requirements and is in reasonable condition.

Ventilation

Bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms and kitchens in your rental must have an openable window or door that can be fixed open to the outside. Kitchens and bathrooms must have an extractor fan or a continuous mechanical ventilation system to remove moisture.

Moisture ingress and drainage

Your guttering and drainage should be up for the job and if you have an enclosed subfloor (that’s the bit below the house if it doesn’t sit directly on the ground) it’ll need to have a polythene moisture barrier. 

Draught stopping

Any noticeable draughts from unreasonable gaps or holes should be sealed up. Don’t forget that any unused open fireplaces should be blocked off too, unless you want to use them. 

Short guide on healthy homes standards [PDF, 198 KB]

Healthy homes standards guide [PDF, 1.3 MB]

Change doesn’t happen overnight. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect to happen and when.

Insulation is compulsory

Ceiling and underfloor insulation is compulsory in all rental homes where it is reasonably practicable to install.

Signed, sealed and delivered

Landlords must sign a statement of intent to comply with the healthy homes standards in any new, varied or renewed tenancy agreement.

From 1 December 2020

Landlords must include a compliance statement in any new or renewed tenancies. The statement outlines their current level of compliance.

Find out more about the compliance statement(external link)

From July 2021

New tenancy, new timelines

If you’ve signed a new or renewed tenancy, your landlord must comply within certain timeframes.

Tenancy started or renewed between 1 July 2021 to 27 August 2022:

  • Private landlords must ensure their rental properties comply with the healthy homes standards within 90 days of any new, or renewed, tenancy.

Tenancy started or renewed from 28 August 2022:

  • Private landlords must ensure their rental properties comply with the healthy homes standards within 120 days of any new, or renewed, tenancy.

Certain types of properties may get some extra time to comply with the heating standard.

Use the compliance timeframes decision tool to find out when your rental property needs to comply.

Compliance timeframes decision tool(external link)

Boarding houses are up!

If you’re living in a boarding house, your landlord must comply with the healthy homes standards.

From July 2024

If you’re living in a Kāinga Ora or a registered Community Housing Provider home, your landlord must comply with the healthy homes standards.

From July 2025

Expect your home to be healthy

All rental homes must comply with the healthy homes standards.

Key information

Chit chat

It’s always good to have a chat with your landlord and find out what they’ve done already and what plans they have in the works.

Heads up

Landlords need to be able to get into the property to do the work necessary for the property to comply with the healthy homes standards. That means that in these instances, they can give a minimum of 24 hours' notice to access the rental property.

Find out more information

Healthy habits