What are the Healthy Homes standards for New Zealand rentals in 2026?

Landlords must provide fixed heating that can heat the main living room to the capacity rules for that space. Ceiling and underfloor insulation must meet the insulation standard. Each habitable room needs an openable window or door that can stay open, and kitchens and bathrooms need extractor fans that remove moisture. Drainage, guttering, and downpipes must work, with a ground moisture barrier where an enclosed subfloor requires it. Unreasonable draught gaps in walls, floors, windows, and doors must be blocked.

Exemptions exist for some building types and situations. Do not invent one; ask the landlord to show the legal basis: How to rent a home. Winter power bills still rise even in compliant homes, but the standards aim to make heating usable: Winter cold and Utilities, internet, and transport.

New, renewed, or varied tenancy agreements must include a signed Healthy Homes compliance statement covering the property’s current status across the standards and any exemptions. Read it before you pay the bond: Rental contracts and deposits. Tenancy Services publishes a tenant checklist you can walk with a torch and phone camera during the viewing.

If the home does not comply, talk to the landlord in writing first. If talks stall, serve a notice to remedy with a reasonable deadline, then apply to the Tenancy Tribunal. Landlords who breach Healthy Homes duties can face financial penalties, and missing compliance statements can also attract infringement outcomes. Landlords may enter with proper notice to carry out Healthy Homes work: Tenant rights.