Healthy Homes Standards New Zealand

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The Easy Insulation Healthy Homes Standards assessment template is designed to include key regulatory information and explanations on what's being assessed, and why. Our assessment and statement form is designed to provide all the necessary information required for the statement of compliance required from 1 July 2020 onwards.

It is the goal of Easy Insulation to make Healthy Homes Standards compliance as pain-free as possible for landlords and property management agencies.

We communicate clearly with tenants, and schedule assessments to trained assessors' calendars. Assessors carefully work through our assessment template on site. Our office collates all relevant files, and we store them in unique folders for future reference. PDF or Word file reports are emailed to the relevant parties.

From 1 July 2019, record keeping on the part of the landlord is a required under the healthy homes standards, and Easy Insulation supports this requirement throughout our interaction with a landlord/agency.

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Please note: This information is a guide only, and may not cover all situations. It should not be used as a substitute for legislation or for legal or other expert advice.

For more information on Health Homes Standards visit: www.raisethestandard.nz/landlords/ or check out www.tenancy.govt.nz/healthy-homes/

Download your guide here pdf

INSULATION

Ceiling and underfloor insulation has already been compulsory since 1 July 2019. You’ll need to make sure your insulation meets the new standard.

A well-insulated property can help control condensation and reduce the chances of mould and other nasties taking hold. It’ll also make it easier for a house to retain heat - a warm house is a drier house.

Insulation needs to meet the R-values for your area

So, what are R-values? The “R” stands for thermal resistance. R-value is a measure of how well insulation resists heat flow. The higher the R-value, the better the insulation. Living in Hokianga is a bit different from renting a house in Invercargill. That’s why the minimum standards for insulation are different across New Zealand’s three key climate zones.

Zone 1 - ceiling R 2.9
Zone 2 - ceiling R 2.9
Zone 3 - ceiling R 3.3
Nationwide - underfloor R 1.3

Find out more: Insulation Standard

MOISTURE INGRESS AND DRAINAGE

A rental property must have a drainage system that:– efficiently drains storm water, surface water and ground water to an appropriate outfall, and– includes appropriate gutters, downpipes and drains to remove water from the roof.
Rental properties with suspended floors, where the subfloor space is enclosed, must have a ground moisture barrier (unless it is not reasonably practicable to install one).

Find out more: Moisture ingress and drainage standard

HEATING

The heating standard requires landlords to provide one or more fixed heater(s) that can directly heat the main living room of every rental property. These must be acceptable types of heaters and must meet a required minimum heating capacity. The minimum heating capacity shows the heater(s) can heat the main living room to 18˚C.

Find out more Heating Standard

VENTILATION

Mechanical ventilation in rooms with a bath, shower or indoor cooktop.
Openable windows or external doors in the living room, dining room, kitchen and bedrooms.

Find out more Ventilation Standards

DRAUGHT STOPPING

Landlords must block any unreasonable gaps and holes in walls, ceilings, windows, floors and doors that cause draughts.
Open fireplaces must be blocked unless the tenant and landlord agree otherwise.

What are the exemptions to the Healthy Homes Standards?

INSULATION EXEMPTIONS:

Access is impracticable or unsafe.
Some areas of some homes may be unsafe or not reasonably practicable to access.
Partial exemption for certain underfloor insulation.
If the rental home has existing underfloor insulation that was installed when the home was built or converted. This insulation must still be in reasonable condition. Landlords must have a copy of any compliance documents that shows the home met the requirements of the time.
Ceilings and floors with other habitable spaces directly above or below.
The third exemption applies to areas of ceilings or floors where there are other habitable spaces directly above or below. This might be another floor of the same property or another apartment. These areas do not require insulation to meet the healthy homes insulation standard.

KEEPING RECORDS

From 1 July 2019, landlords must keep records of all documents that show how they are complying with the standards.

TENANCY AGREEMENTS

As part of the healthy homes standards, there is additional information that landlords must include in new, varied or renewed tenancy agreements. This applies to both boarding houses and standard tenancies.

COMPLIANCE TIMEFRAMES*

Private landlords must meet the standards within certain timeframes from the start of any new, or renewed tenancy from 1 July 2021. All tenancies must meet the standard by 1 July 2025. The timeline below outlines all the important dates for the introduction of the standards.

1 JULY 2019

Ceiling and underfloor insulation is compulsory in all rental properties where it is reasonably practicable to install.
All new, varied or renewed tenancy agreements must include a signed statement that the landlord will comply with the healthy homes standards as required by the Residential Tenancies Act 1986.
This statement can be combined with the insulation statement that covers what insulation a property has, where it is, what type and what condition. This statement has been required in all new tenancy agreements since 1 July 2016.6
Landlords must keep relevant documents as evidence of compliance with the standards.

1 DECEMBER 2020

All new or renewed tenancy agreements must include specific information about the property’s current level of compliance with the healthy homes standards.
This isn’t required if the tenancy is a fixed term that ends before the healthy homes compliance date for the tenancy.

1 JULY 2024

All houses rented out by Kāinga Ora (formerly Housing New Zealand) and Community Housing Providers must comply with the standards.

1 July 2025

All rental homes must comply with the healthy homes standards.

See www.tenancy.govt.nz for a complete explanation of statements that must accompany tenancy agreements.

Please note: This information is a guide only, and may not cover all situations. It should not be used as a substitute for legislation or for legal or other expert advice.

For more information on Health Homes Standards visit: www.raisethestandard.nz/landlords/ or check out www.tenancy.govt.nz/healthy-homes/

Download your guide here:

Click here to download pdf